Lancer Emilya
by Kilich
Summary: Emiya Shiro was saved from certain death in the end of HF arc by Illyasviel, who gave him a copy of her own body. Now, as a Servant, Emilya wants to prevent the disaster that was Heaven's Feel. Inspired by 'Heaven's Failure' doujin. Don't take seriously.
1. Prologue

Lancer Emilya.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fate\Stay night or any other works used in this story. I write it because it's fun, no other reason.

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Prologue.

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Shiro lay near Sakura's body that he just freed from Angro Mainyu's influence with Caster's Rule Breaker.

He knew he was dying because his entire body screamed of it ever since he traced Hercules's weapon to perform the demigod's Noble Phantasm: Nine Lives: Hundred Shooting Heads.

With it he defeated the Dark Berserker and bought himself, Rin and Ilya enough time to plan what to do.

Nevertheless, he pushed himself first on his knees, then stood up and slowly walked towards the Grail that stood completed for the first time in the history of Holy Grail Wars.

It's was both a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight, an artifact that created a gate to the root of universe, a rare mage didn't dream about what he could see now. But Shiro wanted only to destroy the thing that brought so much sorrow in his life, both ten years ago when it turned his previous life to ash and now, when it harbored so called 'all the evil in the world'.

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Shiro slowly raised the arm he got from Archer and concentrated, trying to ignore the pain from his overstrained magic circuits and hoping he would manage to trace and use Excalibur before he died.

'Saber.' that thought caused images of his Servant, before she was corrupted, to flow into his mind, threatening to break his concentration. Images about how she first appeared and saved his life, how she was changed by Shadow and how he finished her life with dagger of Azoth.

"Onii-chan, stop! I'll deal with Grail" he, suddenly hearda voice from behind and slowly turned his head to see if she was here.

He saw a very young girl with long white hair that framed her red eyes that suddenly started to glow when she used a spell.

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"Ilya…" he whispered and felt his body began to freeze. Afraid that he could die before he destroyed the Grail he tried to turn to the artifact, but, instead, his body went limp and he fell on the ground.

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"Don't worry Shiro, you will live. Even if it takes a miracle." said Ilya, stopping her paralyze spell and walked to Grail.

The boy couldn't see what happened after, as Ilya's paralysis spell easily won and his eyes closed.

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For a long time, an eternity as Shiro thought, he relived what happened to him in his life. He relived the conflagration, the talks he had with the man he called his father and the events of this War.

Archer, Saber and a multitude of other people appeared before him and soon faded away in the darkness that surrounded him, as if repeating their deaths at the hands of Shadow.

One of them however refused to leave. It was Ilya, his sister, wearing the dress he saw on her before his eyes closed, surrounded by bright white glow.

"Wake up, onii-chan. Wake up and live." said the girl and suddenly the light around her expanded in a burst and banished the darkness that surrounded him.

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Shiro opened his eyes, not yet understanding what was happening. Slowly his vision cleared and he saw the ceiling of his room above him.

'What happened? Why am I in my room?' he thought and tried to move, but his body was too weak, he even barely felt it. Instead, he looked around, trying to see if it was another dream, but soon it proved to be a futile effort.

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The door to his room opened and turning his head, he saw Sakura in her usual outfit with painfully hopeful expression that burst into happiness when she noticed that Shiro was awake.

"Sempai! I was so worried that you'll never wake up." she cried and ran to Shiro. Surprisingly, when Sakura hugged him and he started to feel his body under Sakura's hands, Shiro felt something was very wrong and tried to break free to see what happened to him.

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Sakura misunderstood and thought that Shiro rejected even her touch. With tears in her eyes, the girl broke away and was about to run away when a shout stopped her.

"Sakura wait!"

The girl slowly turned around and said.

"It's all right Sempai. I understand if you don't want for me to be around."

"No that's not it Sakura. I want you to be around… What? What happened to my voice?!" exclaimed Shiro when he heard his words spoken by Ilya's voice. He looked at Sakura, who showed almost tangible amount of remorse and looked under the bed covers.

First he saw his bloodstained shirt and gulped as he saw the body that flashed through the rips.

'I'm Ilya?'

"I'm Ilya? How?" asked Shiro, feeling his face with his hands and then caught a strand of a long pale red hair and brought it before his eyes.

He briefly thought about checking himself further, but banished this thought since his feeling of touch fully returned and told him even more than he wanted.

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He turned his attention to Sakura who was still standing near the door and asked, faintly hoping that Ilya was somehow alive and merely gave him a copy of this body.

"Where's Ilya? What happened to Grail?"

Sakura briefly hesitated before she decided something and walked to him.

"I couldn't see what happened, but Grail is gone and Ilya wasn't here when I woke up in your house." The plum haired girl suddenly embraced Shiro in her arms and said in a much quieter voice that was so sincere that if Shiro listened he could hear the strings of her soul reverberating as she spoke.

"When I woke up, I thought that Sempai is dead. That I killed you. But soon Rider brought a girl here and Rin said that you are Sempai. I'm so happy now, I don't care how you look, just don't leave me again."

"S-Sakura…" Shiro, slightly stunned by the strength of her emotion, didn't know what he should do and just embraced the other girl.

'So there's almost no hope left. But I'll still ask Tosaka.'

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Almost as soon as the red-haired girl thought about Rin, the door opened and revealed the said girl, dressed in her usual red & black combination. Sneezing, Rin slightly winced from the wound that wasn't healed yet, but steeled herself and said.

"It's good to see that you're alive, Emiya. Now, get up and follow me, I want to check you while you awake, since I couldn't find anything wrong while you slept."

"I'm going." said the girl and got out of the bed in her dirty torn shirt.

"Sempai, you might want to dress first."

"Oh, right." Shiro blushed, carefully closed the biggest rip with one hand and walked to his closet, but stopped when Sakura said.

"You can't wear your clothes. They are too big for you."

"What am I going to wear then? I won't borrow any clothes from you. Or Rin." answered Shiro, looking at Tohsaka who had a painful smile on.

"You don't need to, Emiya. Ilya's maid brought enough of her clothes for you."

"Tosaka! I can't…"

Rin winced from the shout and interrupted the redhead before she got even louder.

"You'll deal with what you like or dislike later. Now, I want to check your body before my wound puts me in a bed again."

"…"

Shiro walked to his closet and replaced his shirt with a clean one, taking care to keep the shirt from brushing his body and then left with Rin, trying to ignore Sakura who couldn't help but snicker when she saw how big the shirt looked on Shiro's now small body.

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"Did you find anything Tohsaka? Can I be changed back?" asked the redhead when Rin stopped the spell and stepped back.

"No, I couldn't find anything like that. It looks like you are stuck with it for now, Emiya. I can't even say if you're a homunculus like Ilya was. I really hope that you are not." answered Rin when she sat near by, tired.

"But I can't live like this!"

"That's right Sempai. You can't live like this. You must at least wear the clothes that fit." said Sakura when she walked into the room.

"But…" Shiro tried to protest but the other girl took his hand and gently pulled the redhead after her, leaving Rin alone.

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Soon they walked into the storage room and Shiro saw a woman in a long white dress, with white hair and red eyes that reminded him about Ilya, who stood near several big bags on the floor.

"Who are you? "

"I'm Sella. I was Illyasviel's maid for a very long time. Together with Leysritt we watched over and taught her everything we could." answered the woman and after a short pause she said.

"I don't understand why Illyasviel chose to sacrifice herself for your sake, but allow me to honor her memory by serving you as I did for her. I suppose she would've wanted me to be at your side if she knew what will happen."

"Ahh… You don't have to serve me, but you can live here if you want."

Hearing that Sella brightened up and scanning Shiro, she said.

"Then we can start with finding you suitable clothes. I think Illyasviel's would fit well. But... first, you need to be washed."

"Washed?! No way, not today and not with anybody else!" shouted Shiro, dashing out of the room with Sella and Sakura chasing after her.

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About a half an hour later, Shiro stood before the big mirror, all clean and tidy, and looked in the mirror at the girl dressed in purple jacket and white skirt that Ilya usually wore.

Ignoring the praise from both Sella and Sakura, she moved to touch the mirror, almost expecting the girl she saw in it to jump out and hug him with a cheerful cry as she usually did, but nothing happened when his and his reflection's fingers met.

Nevertheless, for a moment he thought that he could feel her presence.

'Thank you, big sister. I will never forget what you did for me and I'll try to live for us both. Maybe you'll feel the joys of living through me wherever you are now.'

Turning around, he…

'I guess I can start with calling myself 'she' now.' mentally sighed Shiro and said to the others.

"I'm clean and dressed now. Are you happy?"

"Yes, you look very cute, Sempai." said Sakura and her eyes gained a gleam that, for some reason, seemed highly suspicious to the redhead, but she decided not to ask about it and instead walked to the door.

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"Where are you going?" asked Sella, slightly suspicious that despite what she knew about that… person, Shiro was going to do something indecent to Illyasviel's body. That actually was one of the main reasons the maid came to Emiya household.

"I'm going to prepare something. I'm hungry."

"Please wait Sempai. You don't have to do it yourself. We'll prepare the food."

Shiro turned to them, beginning to feel annoyed that so far he wasn't allowed to do anything for himself, even bathe.

When Sakura saw Shiro's sour expression, she barely held herself from flinching.

"Sempai, it's not because I don't take you seriously. You are not tall enough to cook in your kitchen yet."

"Oh, right…" The redhead's grip on the door knob lessened and sighing she said.

"Then I'll go to Rin. We'll plan how to explain everything to Fuji-nee when she arrives."

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'Where is Shiro? I didn't see him yesterday. I hope he's not gone missing as so many others did.' thought Taiga Fujimura as she walked into the house where the boy lived.

When she entered the living room, she saw Tohsaka girl, Sakura, but no Shiro. There were also two more people at the table. A girl with long pale red hair that framed her face and contrasted her dark red eyes and a woman wearing a white floor length dress, that matched her short white hair and bright red eyes, that was serving the breakfast.

"Who are they?" she asked, angry that these guests behaved themselves as if they lived here.

"What?" asked the redheaded girl and seemed confused when she understood what Taiga meant. She turned to Rin who sat nearby and asked.

"Ah, Tohsaka can you answer that?"

Rin stopped eating and turned to the newcomer, before she said.

"This is Emilya von Einzbern. She is Shiro's cousin and she, her maid Sella and Sakura's friend Rider are from another country and arrived yesterday to visit him, but since he's missing, they decided to wait for him."

"Tohsaka!" exclaimed the smaller girl, furious to hear that lie." Tell her the…"

The rest of her words were muffled when Rin almost jumped from her place, put her hand on Shiro's mouth and almost carried her out of the room, saying that they'll return in a minute. Sakura went out after them, followed by Sella.

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Blinking in confusion, Fujimura turned to the guest who just walked in, a young looking woman with purple hair that almost reached the floor and held a book in her hand.

"So, your name is Rider? And you came to see Sakura?"

"Yes."

"Poor girl. She lost her family a few days ago. I hope you'll cheer her enough for her smile to return."

"Umm… I'll try."

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Meanwhile in another room, Rin released Shiro and immediately the redhead exclaimed.

"Why did you do that, Tohsaka? We must let her know that I'm alive, I don't want her think that I'm dead!"

"Quiet Emiya! Soon I'll have to leave to London as the only surviving Master of the Holy Grail War to make a report. But I'm almost sure they'll put me on trial for allowing Grail, and the gate to Akasha, disappear. And even though they'll condemn me anyway, Taiga is not a mage, so she can't be allowed to learn that magic exists."

"Tohsaka…" Shiro was stunned for several seconds, but soon her face hardened and she said.

"Don't worry. If I'm one of Einzbern now, then I'll do whatever it takes to stop them before they hurt you."

Rin smiled and cupped the girl's cheek, looking in her eyes, as if trying to see Emiya inside.

"You really changed Shiro."

"Now I can kill to save those I care the most." sighed the smaller girl with sullen expression as her dreams of becoming a 'hero of justice' assaulted her mind again.

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A\N: Comments, opinions, reviews are welcome.


	2. Chapter 0

Since I'll write Chapter 0 later, I decided to post its outline.

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After Rin went to London and Zelretch made the Magi Association drop the charges by taking two apprentices, magi both from London and Einzbern took interest in Emilya and Sakura.

They soon learnt that neither of them was willing to let them conduct any research on them.

They left Sakura alone because, while her Shadow and Servant could be subdued or defeated, that could take an amount of resources that neither group was willing to spend.

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Their interest in Emilya appeared after a year since HF has passed and she was still alive, despite the fact that her homunculus body was not supposed to last so long. Actions of Mages Association were held back by the fact that they couldn't decide to whose laboratories they should take her, London or Einzbern's and by a faction that wanted to leave the survivors of 5th War alone, fearing that Zelretch might return again.

Later Rin saved Emilya from her colleagues' attention by telling her about Toko Aozaki, a mage that hid from Association in Tokyo. With Rider's help, Emilya found Toko and started to work with her.

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Probably influenced by Toko, 'puppet-master' as other magi called her, Emilya's interest slightly shifted away from swords alone, while she practiced her tracing. Her first success was creating a small metallic bird familiar that she could remotely control with her will. Eventually, she even created a humanoid familiar, a traced suit of armour made from material unknown to her, but very easy to work with. That armour never had its own personality or soul, because for Emilya it reminded too much about what Einzbern did to Ilya, but unlike her bird it received a part of Emilya's own, working like a split personality while it was called forth.

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After a long time, when her body's deterioration surpassed abilities of Avalon that already depleted most of the energy, Emilya stopped Sakura from both attempting to use her Shadow and trying to sacrifice herself, as Ilya once did, to get her beloved little sister, as Sakura called Emilya, a new body.

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Emilya's death was avoided when Shiki Ryogi, a girl who received god-like powers from her link to Akasha, Emilya's UBW appeared outside the normal flow of space and time.

(As in "her own mini-dimension". Like the Scathach, a witch that gave Lancer his Gae Bolg, a human being who came too close to the gods with a mortal body and was exiled into a place that is neither the plane of the ethereal nor the plane of the living.).

After her time on Earth ended, she appeared there, immortal and forever asleep in this 'special room' connected to the Throne of Heroes. She wasn't sleeping without dreams though, each time she was summoned, she received memories of her copies sent to Earth to fight in the Wars.

But when Illyasviel von Einzbern wished for the strongest Heroic spirit and someone she could call a friend, not a spirit copy of her was summoned, but she herself responded and her awakened spirit appeared from the summoning circle.

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	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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Illyasviel von Einzbern stood in a small forest clearing near her family castle in which she spent most of her life, and looked down at the intricate pentagram drawn beneath her on the frozen ground. In its center was a long piece of stone brought by her family from Greece. It was from the temple where the legendary hero, Heracles, was buried in.

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Einzbern were an ancient family of talented magicians who strived to reach Akasha, a place also called Root of Universe. Should anyone succeed, they could achieve anything they desired.

But for almost a thousand years, all of attempts made by Einzbern failed and around two hundred years ago they made a contract with other families of magi: Tohsaka and later, Mato. That contract led to creation of Holy Grail Wars, a contest that occurs every sixty years in which seven magi, known as Masters during the War, summon Servants, who are the spirits of legendary heroes from all of humanity's history.  
These Servants possess superhuman characteristics, powerful artifacts or abilities called Noble Phantasms and are essential in achieving the ultimate goal of this contest, killing six Servants and completing Holy Grail, a relic that can grant any wish. Only a Master can summon the Grail, but only with Servant's help he can hope to make his wish.

The Einzbern also were responsible for creation of homunculi, beings with incredible magic power that could absorb souls of defeated Servants and acted as a vessel for Grail in the end of War, while the Mato created the Master\Servant system and the Tōhsaka supplied the spiritually charged land that the War was fought in.

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As artificial human created by her family, Illyasviel was prepared to sacrifice herself to create Grail, but first she needed to enter the War as the Master with a Servant that was, as Einzbern hoped, strong enough to achieve victory against all odds.

That's why despite the night and chilling air she stood near the summoning circle, reading an incantation and ignored the howl of wolfs from somewhere behind the trees.

"Hear me.

If thou wouldst serve under me, my fate will be entwined with thy blade.

If thou wouldst hear these words under the laws of the grail, come.

For the river of war flows once more.

It calls to thee who followed its path.

By the memory of conflict held in this blade I abjure thee.

Let blood rain from the sky again.

Come forth, my servant!"

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When she finished the ritual, she heard a noise behind her and quickly turned around. In the light that started to emanate from the magic symbol on the ground, she saw that wolfs that she heard earlier already surrounded her. After watching their prey for several seconds, they started to approach, tightening the ring.

Soon wolfs dashed towards their target, ignoring the light in the magic circle that coalesced into a humanoid figure with a long object in hand.

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Seeing that she might be killed before her Servant appears, Ilya's heart tightened, not from fear of death, but from fear of failure.

When the animals jumped towards her, Ilya was suddenly thrown to the ground and a blade briefly reflected the moonlight as it cleaved the first wolf in half.

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Lying on the ground, the girl couldn't see any details about figure that spun above her, save for the long dark coat it wore. Its weapon's blade flashed as it cut, deflected and stabbed along with stone spikes that shot from the ground and impaled wolfs that the figure was too late to kill.

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When the last of the pack died, stopped in midair by a forward thrust, the figure's weapon disappeared and it leaned towards the girl on the ground that was covered in animal's blood.

"Servant Lancer is at your command, Ilya. Don't worry, I'll protect you." said a young woman's voice that stirred vague long forgotten memories in the girl.

"Ilya?" murmured the girl, surprised at being called like only her family did and flinched when the pain she felt, briefly flared. It was because she summoned a Servant before the War started, and without support it provided, all Mana needed for Servants to stay in this world and function, an amount massive enough to kill an average magician, was taken from the Master instead.

But Ilya only carefully waited for a minute and when the pain faded and mostly replaced itself with what felt like a strain, she turned her attention to her Servant.

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For a moment, when she first saw her Servant's long white hair, red eyes and strangely familiar face, she thought that she looked like her mother, but she quickly pushed this thought aside.

Lancer put her hands around the silent girl and when she tried to lift her, she shook Illyasviel from her reverie, because a spike of pain shot again through the smaller girl's body.

"Put me down! Who are you? Where's my Heracles?" shouted Ilya, angry at the thought that she might've failed the summoning despite her efforts.

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Lancer blinked and stepped away, before she answered.

"I guess since were closer then sisters, your body acted as a reagent and I took priority over Heracles. "

"Closer then sisters?! What nonsense is this?" asked Ilya, slightly furious at not understanding what her Servant meant…

'Could she be like me? How did she become a Noble Spirit then?' thought Illyasviel and deciding to discover the truth even if she had to use a Command Spell, she lifted her hand that had a red tattoo that granted her power to make an absolute order to her Servant and asked.

"Tell me how you became a Servant!"

"Maybe you'll wait until we get to the castle? You'll freeze to death here, Ilya."

"No, tell me here!"

Emilya sighed and took of her dark purple coat, revealing that she wore a purple jacket and white knee length skirt underneath. She wrapped the smaller girl in it and pointed her open palm to the side, quickly muttering something.

A light appeared in her palm and, suddenly, a round shape appeared on the ground and grew taller. When it was finished, Ilya saw a cylinder with holed walls and a raging fire inside.

"Now I can tell you about me without fear for your health." smiled Lancer and sat near her Master before starting her story.

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"I know that you want to meet your brother." said Lancer and the fact that the Servant knew even such secret things almost caused Ilya to lose patience.

"But do you ever wanted to meet your little sister?

"In my past, lived Emiya Shiro, the boy you must've heard about. After Zouken Mato used several shards of tainted Grail from the fourth War on a girl he adopted, he forced her to kill other Masters, Servants and innocent people alike.

Shiro and Tohsaka Rin went to save her and he had to push himself so far that he couldn't survive, even though he promised to live with you after the War. And if it weren't for you, Ilya, he would've failed to keep that promise. But you came, said that you want him to live even if it takes a miracle and gave him a new body. Next morning he woke up like this." Emilya interrupted herself to gesture at her figure, unwilling to speak what happened to her later and hoping that her Master won't use Command Seal and force her to tell.

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Lancer sighed in relief when Ilya didn't move and straightening her dress, she turned to look at the fire for a moment before her attention returned to the girl.

"I want to prevent that from happening."

"Is what you told me true? You do know I can use my one of my Command seals to do anything I want?" asked Ilya, her mind awhirl from the fantastic story that Lancer just told her. What she said was possible, but to believe she needed more proof.

"Please don't use those spells on me, Ilya. I think I can give you proof.' quickly answered Lancer, fearing that if she told Ilya everything she knew it would disrupt, if not downright ruin her plans.

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'What can I give her as proof? All of my memories with Ilya can't be used and I can't tell her who the other Masters will be, or else I might put Sakura and Rin in danger.'

She saw that Ilya grew impatient and remembered the only thing that could connect this Ilya and herself.

Emilya stood up and stepped away, before she brought her hands forward and controlled light erupted from her palms. After simmering for a few seconds, the spheres of light under her hands grew towards each other and formed a sword-like shape.

When the glow subsided, Ilya saw a crude stone sword that looked fit for a giant, not for Lancer's slender hand.

"This is Hercules's weapon, Nine Lives, from the War I was in. I can even perform his 'Hundred shooting heads' technique, but I doubt you need me bedridden for a few days." said her Servant, wrinkling her nose as she said the last part, most likely because of an unpleasant memory, and put the weapon on the ground, in front of surprised Ilya.

"Here, see it for yourself and tell me if you believe my story."

-

Ilya touched the weapon, as if she wanted to see how solid it was and felt its rough surface. She looked at the summoning circle where was the item she used as a reagent in the summoning and saw that these two pieces of stone looked almost similar.

She stood up and smiled for the first time in a long time, thinking about her Servant.

'Can everything happen as she told? Can she really be my brother that came to protect me? And was it projection magic she used?'

But she voiced only her last thought as they walked towards the castle.

"Yes. It's best works with swords or at least bladed weaponry. I can trace some devices and my gadgets, but on much lower level."

-

The rest of the way to the castle, both Master and her Servant walked in silence, each busy with their own thoughts.

Ilya was thinking over all the information Lancer gave her and how she could present her Servant to her family so she wasn't looked on as a Master who failed her duty.

Meanwhile Emilya was busy planning, or rather remembering her plan she made a long time ago, about how she could disrupt plans of both Zouken and Kotomine.

'I'm still no good at planning how to deal with complicated magic, no matter for how long Toko taught me. I'll have to ask Ilya for advice.'

-

When they entered the castle's hall, they were met by the head of Einzbern family, Jubstacheit von Einzbern or Acht as he also was known, who wanted to see for himself if Ilya succeeded.

"Illyasviel, who is this Servant? How dared you fail!" he said in a cold voice, his harsh gaze causing Ilya to slightly shiver, when instead of a legendary hero, he saw a young woman of slender build that had… an unmistakable resemblance to Irisviel?

To prove his suspicions, he quickly asked the Servant, who was standing near her Master and glanced at Ilya while she looked at him as if she tried to find the words to protect the girl.

"What is your name, Servant?"

Servant focused her attention on him and with a slight bow, she answered.

"Lancer."

"I meant your true name. Illyasviel, I will not tolerate an disobedient Servant." said Acht, frustrated at the Servant's answer.

Ilya shivered from the glare and quietly told Lancer.

"Tell him."

"Emilya von Einzbern. " Seeing shock on the man's face, Emilya mentally smiled, the shock was strong enough to shorten one's life for at least an year. It was a pity that Acht was a perfect Homunculi, a being that couldn't age.

"But how?! In the history of Einzbern, none of us became Noble Spirits that I know of!" shouted the man, astonished at a possibility of one of Einzbern Homunculi, that were destined to become a vessel for Holy Grail, becoming a Servant. And the woman's hair and eyes were the best proofs that it indeed happened.

'My Illyasviel, I was wrong to think of you as a failure. What you have brought might be one of the greatest treasures we could ask for! If all of the Servants in the War will be loyal to Einzbern, then Einzbern will achieve Grail despite the contract.'

-

Busy with his thoughts about shining future of his family, he almost missed Lancer's reply to his shout.

"I was not born yet. And…" Emilya paused to glare on him, looking like she knew exactly what he was up to, but Jubstacheit interrupted her before she could continue.

"I understand. How can you be useful to us? You're can't as powerful as Heracles."

The woman smirked and answered with a tone of confidence.

"I might not have twelve lives or nigh impregnable skin, but I believe that I have more then enough means to deal with my enemies."

"You'll depart to Japan tomorrow then." with that he turned around walked away, leaving both Ilya, who was pulling off Lancer's coat to give it back, and Emilya, who was looking at his back with narrowed eyes and unreadable expression on her face.

-

Tomorrow, as was ordered by the head of Einzbern family, Illyasviel and her Servant were on board of a jet that took them to Japan.

-

"Ahh, look. Everything is so tiny." said Ilya as she looked through the window and saw a town big enough to be seen even from their height.

"Yes, it's interesting." answered Emilya when she gave in to the girl demands and looked outside as well. Soon, she sat back and straightening her coat, asked what wasn't leaving her thoughts since she met her Master in that forest clearing.

-

"What we are going to do when we'll arrive there? I might be good with tactics, but devising strategies or dealing with powerful sorceries is not really for me. " She lowered her voice, when she said 'sorceries', because a habit she got from Toko, acted up. A habit not to give any hints that she was a mage where she could be heard by others, or else someone from Magi Association might discover her and Toko's hiding place and make a less than pleasant visit.

Ilya looked away and her white brow furrowed in thought.

"There's about two months left, so we have enough time to plan…"

The girl trailed off when she noticed a strangely shaped cloud in a corner of her eye and, momentarily forgetting about everything, she stuck to the window again.

"Look, it's shaped like one of my dolls!"

She kept occasionally exclaiming about shapes of the clouds or unusual sight below for a few hours, pulling Lancer to the window when the plane passed over something extraordinary.

-

'It's good to see her happy and smiling.' thought Emilya when her Master fell asleep without noticing it and Lancer gently changed Ilya's position so the smaller girl would sleep on her lap, before she returned to her thoughts about upcoming War that soon were replaced by her memories of how she lived with Sakura and Rider after Ilya saved her and what happened to Rin, who protected her freedom at price of getting her career as a mage mostly shot.

'I wonder if fulfilling my dream might have a price that can't be paid. The dreams often come at this price.' thought Emilya, running her hand through Ilya's hair and causing the girl to try and snuggle closer.

-

Emilya walked out of the airport, with still sleeping Ilya in her hands and stopped a cab that would take them to the train station.

When they were already carried to Fuyuki city by a train, Ilya woke up and rubbing her eyes, asked.

"Where are we, Lancer?"

"We're on the train to Fuyuki already. You slept so good that I decided not to wake you."

"You should've woken me up. I could recognize a Master at the airport if they decided to arrive today."

"Sorry. I'll wake you up next time." answered Emilya, thinking that after they'll arrive to Einzbern's castle near Fuyuki, the first thing she'll do would be taking Ilya for a walk and some ice-cream.

She wasn't sure why she wanted that, maybe to catch up for all the fun times with Ilya she missed because of Heaven's Feel or simply to introduce the girl to the joys of living she was denied while she lived back in Germany.

-

-

A\N: Comments, reviews and suggestions are welcome.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

-

"Here we are, Lancer. Sella and Leysritt must've already prepared the castle for us." said Ilya as they walked to the forest clearing where stood one of of Einzbern's castles.

Looking at the forest around her, Emilya remembered how they fought against Shadow, how she lost her arm that was later replaced by Archer's and for several seconds that took these memories to fade, a light phantom pain appeared in her shoulder.

"It'll be fun spending some time here in peace." she said, mostly not to Ilya, but commenting on her thoughts.

"Not for long. We must search for other Masters so we would know who to kill when the War starts." answered Ilya walked quicker to the castle doors, where her maids were waiting for them.

Breaking away from her memories, Lancer sighed and caught up with Ilya.

-

"Castle is prepared." said Leysritt, then she bowed to Illyasviel and barely managed to conceal her surprise when she saw the woman behind the younger girl.

That woman was most likely a Servant they expected to arrive with Illyasviel, but her hair, ruby eyes and face that was a splitting image of the woman, as Leysritt knew, Illyasviel would grow one day if she could live long enough and that caused the maid to hesitate.

"May I ask the name of your escort, lady Illyasviel?"

-

Lancer smiled and with a formal bow, just like she was taught by Sella in her past, she answered.

"I'm Emilya von Einzbern. I'm Ilya's Servant in this War."

"Forgive my question." said the maid and turned to Ilya.

"Should I prepare a room for her as well?"

"No, I'll dematerialize her. She's only a Servant."

"Fine. But can we go for some ice-scream later?" asked Emilya, who wasn't expecting anything else, but thought that her Master will let her stay visible for most of the time. She hoped that once they'll know each other, she might nudge Ilya from the path of killing every Master they'll meet.

Emilya herself could care less what happens to Zouken, Shinji or Kotomine, but she wanted to save her other self, Sakura and Rin from as much grief as possible.

-

Soon, after a brief meal, they walked through Fuyuki streets to Emiya residence so they could see what the boy was doing and they decided to make a brief stop at a café for some ice cream, as Lancer suggested.

The waiter that brought them the frozen treat, paused at their table and pretended to look through his notebook he wrote orders in, so he could take a better look at unusual looking woman. As he watched her, he thought of how he could attract her attention and maybe even take her phone number.

-

"Ahh, delicious!" exclaimed Emilya, when the sensation of ice-cream melting in her mouth hit, her face lit with satisfaction so intense that almost immediately she felt that their table was hit by something

Looking at the source, she saw the waiter pushing himself off the table he used to restore his balance and dash away, clutching his nose.

Emilya snickered, thinking that this little trick worked like a charm and decided to speak with Ilya before the memories of why neither she nor Sakura had any children, could come to her to mind.

-

"So, what are you going to do with Shiro when we'll meet him?" she asked, taking another scoop of her ice-cream.

"I'll ask him to become my servant, but if he betrays me as well, I'll turn him into a doll or kill him." answered the girl, causing her Servant to choke.

"Ilya!" exclaimed Lancer when her coughing died down. "You can't…mustn't do it. He never knew that you existed and he never intended to hurt anyone."

"He took my father away and neither of them ever came to me. I've waited for ten years for my revenge and I will get it. And don't forget that I'm your Master and if I order, then you'll kill him yourself." answered Ilya, her image of a young girl that was enjoying her ice-cream sharply contrasting with her words and with what Lancer could see in her eyes.

'It's so easy to forget how I first met her and Berserker.' thought taller woman, remembering how easily, even casually, Ilya ordered her Servant to kill them, when they first met as Masters.

-

Lancer stood before Emiya household and nervously looked at the entrance, feeling uneasy that soon she will meet her past self.

"Come Lancer. What are you waiting for? It's already stupid to have you in visible state, don't make it worse." asked Ilya in slightly irritated voice.

"How did you know that he'll be a Master? I never told you that."

"But you told me that one of the Servants was a blonde woman with green eyes and armed with a golden sword. And in previous War, this Servant belonged to Kiritsugu Emiya, my father." The girl paused and after a second, she continued.

"I thought that if the artifact that was used to summon that Servant wasn't returned to my family, he gave it to his son. And without it, he won't become a Master and will be on my side." said Ilya and turned to her Servant.

"Now behave as you should and bring me inside!"

Emilya took the girl in her arms and swiftly jumped over the wall. Landing behind it, she gently put the girl down and pointed where, most likely, the boy was at this time, before she vanished.

-

Shiro was busy in the storage room, trying to fix one of the many things that lay there broken, when he heard someone walk toward him.

"Good day, Shiro. Can I walk in?"

The boy couldn't recognize the voice, but thought that since this guest could enter his house and knew where to find him, then she was friendly. He turned to see who it was and saw a young girl with long white hair that intently looked at him with her ruby eyes from beyond the door.

"Yes, you can. But who are you?" asked the boy as he stood up and put his tools aside. He tried to remember if he knew this guest and surprisingly, something started to nag him in a corner of his mind. He half-expected to hear 'I'm one of Mato Sakura's friends, or I need help and teachers at your school told me to go to you.', but he was wrong.

"I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern and I came here for an item that your father took from my family a long time ago. It's a gold and blue colored sheath for a Western styled sword and I believe he left it in your care. Do you know where it is?"

"My father? No, I don't think he ever told me about it. When did this happen?"

"Ten years ago." answered Ilya. She walked closer to the boy and looked straight in his eyes.

"It's strange that you don't know about it. You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No, of course not! If I knew where it was, I would've told you."

"He's not lying. But where it is then?" murmured Ilya, as she stepped away, disappointed and slightly puzzled.

'Could father kept it a secret even from him?'

"I believe you Shiro. I will return soon." smiled Ilya and when she walked outside, she made a waving motion, as if she called somebody invisible after her.

-

"I wonder what sheath she was talking about? And did she really know my father?" asked Shiro, scratching his head as he looked around the storage room and tried to remember if there was such thing here. He briefly thought about searching for it throughout the entire house, but decided that if it was expensive enough to come fort after ten years, then it definitely wasn't among the junk that was lying around.

"Oh, well. I'll have too much homework for tomorrow to spend rest of the day searching for it. Maybe Fuji-nee knows about it." said the boy and went outside.

-

"So, what are we going to do now, Ilya?" asked Lancer as they walked through the city.

"We'll search for other Masters for now." answered the girl and slightly motioned her hand with Command seals as she asked her Servant.

"Are you sure that you don't know anything about remaining Masters?"

"No, Shadow appeared and started to kill before we learned who the rest of Masters were. Do you want to kill them before the War even starts?" said Lancer, fearing that Ilya would want to kill everyone she mentioned in the story about her past, but relaxed when she heard the answer.

"No, I won't kill anyone yet. Masters are to be killed in the War, not before. And I don't want to use a command seal for every person I suspect."

"Then, could you spare Tohsaka Rin and Sakura Mato? If you remember what I told you about myself, I… really wish to make their lives less painful."

"I'll think about it."

-

As walked through nearby park, Lancer hesitated, but soon decided to ask Ilya about her plans to deal with the Shadow.

"What about Shinji and Zouken? Can we take Sakura away from them?"

"You'll only alert them. That Shinji is just a pawn and Zouken will be far more careful if we steal that girl."

"I still think it would be better to tell the Magi Association about Zouken's plans or kill them all." But of course you had to complicate a simple thing!"

"If it becomes as bad as you remember, it'll be your fault." said Ilya, who sounded annoyed and slightly regretful that she decided to listen to her Servant and don't expose Sakura to the Magi Association or kill her, so the girl could have a chance to live a better life.

"Thank you Master." smiled Lancer.

They walked through the city until Ilya got tired and told Lancer that they should return to the castle.

-

After an evening meal, that was a surprise for Emilya, because in all the time that she lived with Sella, before she went to live with Toko, she never saw at least a half of the dishes that were before her now.

After they were finished, Emilya asked the younger girl.

"Ilya, can you give me a room, please?"

The smaller girl, who already left the table, turned to her and asked in an annoyed voice.

"You are such a bother. What do you, a Servant, need a room for?"

"Well, I like tinkering with things, its fun." answered Emilya, slightly blushed, and raised her hands, like she was cupping something.

A bright light appeared between her hands and soon, it became a small mechanical bird. It looked around and stretched its long metal wings, made from a lot of metal segments in a way that gave them an amazing flexibility, before it peeked out of the cage that was Lancer's hands.

Ilya looked at the bird with interest and murmured.

"It's would've been so much easier to deal with Berserker. I hope you are good enough in battle to make up for every bothersome thing you ask from me."

Illyasviel closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, most of emotions were gone from her voice.

"Fine, you can work in the room near me, but as soon as anybody enters the forest, you'll dematerialize, and that will be the last thing you can ask until the War."

With that, Ilya walked out, leaving Emilya to wonder if she pushed the girl too far and now earned her dislike.

-

Time was passing quietly and Lancer and her Master were using this time to prepare for the upcoming battles and, because of Lancer's gentle suggestions, for having some fun.

"It's done." said Ilya in a pained voice, as a strain of casting anything while maintaining a Servant laced all of her motions with pain.

Several seconds later, a completed spell started to work and a magic seal flared to life before it disappeared beneath the concrete. That seal was linked to Ilya and would warn her if a Servant appeared nearby.

So far they made five such seals: three near homes of Emiya, Tohsaka and Mato, one on the bridge and the last one was placed on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Fuyuki city, a place that was bound to be chosen as an observation post by at least one of the Masters.

-

In one of the evenings, Ilya stood near an open window in the dining room and looked at the sunset.

Emilya, still at the dining table, noticed a light wind was picking up and asked Sella, who was busy removing empty dishes from the table.

"She won't get a cold like this? She might be used to low temperatures, but she's still a child."

Sella looked at the woman, trying to understand why this question was asked, and answered.

"No, illnesses and diseases have a hard time effecting lady Illyasviel due to her nature, as they do with all Homunculi."

"Really? No wonder I never got ill even after I…" Emilya's voice trailed off, because she didn't want to talk about her past too much.

Ilya suddenly pulled her gaze away from the forest that was lit with the evening sun and turned to the other woman.

"You mean you never got ill even before those events?"

Emilya brushed away a rogue strand of her hair that started to flutter before her eyes from a sudden gust of wind and answered.

"Yes, I don't remember ever getting sick. Why do you ask?"

"Because, now I know where Avalon is. We'll take it tomorrow." smiled Ilya and returned her attention to the outside.

-

The next day, when Shiro presumably already returned home, Ilya and her Servant were on their way to Emiya residence.

Suddenly, Lancer stopped and with a sharp turn she moved away so fast that she disappeared from view. Thankfully, the street was empty, so it wasn't seen by anyone.

"What happened?" asked her Master, who looked around, clearly nervous.

"Do you feel another Servant?"

Emilya, who stood in a spot that allowed a good view of the surrounding area and tried to see whoever she felt a minute ago, didn't answer,

'Where is he? I know that someone was looking at me. Ilya will be in pain if I use magic, but I can't risk her life.'

She cupped her hands and after a brief flash of light, that made Ilya wince from a sudden strain, a metal bird, same one as yesterday, appeared in her hands. It flapped its wings several times and flew into the sky.

'Where is he?' thought Lancer, as she looked around through the bird's eyes.

"Lancer, is it another Servant?" asked Ilya as she spread her own spell and searched for traces of magic around them.

Emilya broke her concentration and answered with smile.

"It could be. But I couldn't see anything."

"Leave them then. It must be Tosaka's Servant, because before the War starts, a human mage is capable of maintaining only an Archer class Servant. If we kill them in the very start, everything they learn now will be useless." said her Master, and frowned when she noticed the expression on Lancer's face.

"Yes, I still remember that you asked me to spare two Masters and I already said that maybe I won't kill them."

-

"Where's he, Lancer? I've been waiting for half an hour already." impatiently asked Illyasviel as she stood up from the bench, not far away from Emiya residence, and started to walk back and forth.

"Don't worry, Ilya. There's no archer practice today, so he was probably asked to help to repair, or clean something. He'll be here soon."

Ruby eyed girl turned to her Servant and said with impatience and irritation.

"But you are him from the future, couldn't you remember exactly when he returns? I'm bored!"

"I'm sorry Ilya, but it was a long time ago." sighed Lancer.

-

"Finally!" exclaimed Ilya when she saw the redheaded boy walk from around the corner and ran to him.

"Why are you so late?! I've been waiting for more then an hour!"

Shiro stopped in hesitation, but soon remembered who she was and answered.

"Sorry for making you wait, I was busy with my part-time job. And I couldn't remember anything about the sheath you asked about."

"That's all right, onii-chan. I know where it is." said Ilya smiling and answered Shiro's questioning gaze by poking him in the chest.

"It's here. You never got sick for past ten years, right?"

Ilya ignored Lancer's shocked gasp and Shiro's confused look and pulled him to his home.

"Come on, I'll get it out of you so I won't have to kill you in a month."

Lancer who looked at them, couldn't decide what to do. She wanted to run to Ilya and asked her to tell her everything about Avalon, but Shiro's expression after he heard Ilya's last words, prevented her from moving.

She stayed in indecision for a minute until her Master impatiently motioned for her to come in and, sighing, Emilya walked after them.

-

When they entered the living room, familiar surroundings snapped Shiro out of the shock of hearing a young girl speak about killing someone so easily. Forgetting her answer about the sheath's location, he turned to Ilya and said.

"You can't talk about killing anyone! Even if it was a joke!"

"I wasn't joking, Shiro. I don't really want to kill you now, but I'll have to do it in a month if we don't remove Avalon." answered Ilya, once again surprising the redheaded boy with the contrast between her innocent, even cheery voice and meaning of her words.

"Why…"

"I'll answer you questions sometime later, onii-chan." said Illyasviel, interrupting the boy's further, most likely, protests and scolding.

"Come here, Lancer." said the girl, took Shiro's hand and pulled him closer to her Servant.

"Now, Shiro, concentrate and imagine a gold and blue sheath that was put in your body ten years ago and imagine how gathers in one place."

She saw that the boy wanted to ask something, put a finger on his lips to silence him and turned to Emilya.

"You must pull it out of his body."

Lancer, with some trepidation, stepped closer to the boy, who stood with closed eyes, and gathered her will as she tried to feel the connection between herself and Avalon inside of his body. When, she saw the item in her mind, its image distorted as if there were two sheaths, she reached into Shiro's chest and felt something solid in her hand.

-

"Yay! You did it!" happily cried Ilya, when her Servant pulled out the artifact. She choose not to mention the fact that, for a brief moment, her Servant's body gained same glow as Shiro's did when Avalon gathered he gathered Avalon in one place.

"I did?" asked Emilya in half-disbelieving voice as she looked at item she held in her hand.

"Now, excuse us, but we must leave." said Ilya with a formal bow and a few seconds later, Emilya repeated her Master's movement.

When they turned to leave, Shiro, clearly nervous, said.

"Wait! You promised to answer my questions!"

"I'm sorry Shiro, but even though you're a mage, we can't tell you because it will put a lot of people in danger." Unexpectedly, it wasn't Ilya who said that, but the woman that came with her and who made him feel uneasy with how intensely she looked at him.

-

"How did you know that it was there, Ilya?" asked Lancer when they exited Shiro's home and walked through the streets.

Ilya looked at her sister and answered.

"You said that you never got sick even before your 5th War."

When Illyasviel saw that her Servant failed to understand her answer, she stopped and ,both dissapointed that her sister didn't figure it out yet and curious why she didn't, she said.

"Don't tell me you never knew that you had it? You even never asked yourself how could you live for more than a year after the War, if your body was a copy of mine?"

"That's a very good question." said Emilya, clenching her fists. Feelings that flashed in her eyes showed that some of her personality traits were close to Ilya's and the magi that visited her several times while she was still alive, would die as slow as she could manage if they happen to cross her way.

-

"What are you going to do with the sheath, Ilya?" asked Lancer when they walked into the Einzbern forest.

Her Master paused for a second, before she answered.

"I'll keep it for now. Then, after the War I'll send it back to Germany."

"Maybe it'll be better to put it in you? I'll have to worry less about you, if you were under Avalon's protection." said Emilya, hoping that the girl will listen and will have a chance to live a much longer and, hopefully, happier life, then she did in her time.

-

Ilya thought about her Servant's words as they walked through the castle's doors and when they were inside, she answered.

"It's good to see that you want to make your Master safer, but I think we might need the sheath for another thing." She noticed a question in Lancer's eyes and added with a mischievously smile.

"I can't tell you now, because you might make another rash action and I had enough of complications for now. I'll tell you when I'll need to and if you're so afraid, I promise to never leave the castle without you."

Suddenly, Ilya turned to the nearest window and pulled Emilya to it. Opening it, she looked at the city and said to her Servant.

"Look there, isn't this a beautiful view?"

"Yes, it is." smiled Emilya, as she noticed a sparkle far away and moved her hand along the glass in a waving motion.

-

On the rooftop of one of the highest buildings in a district that was closest to Einzbern forest, stood a strange pair.

One of them was a middle aged man, dressed in usual looking light colored business suit. He brought his hand, with some flashing object in it, up to his eyes and when he moved it away, an unusual monocle reflected the sunlight as he looked at the castle far away.

"Can you see them, Archer?"

"Yes, I do. And it seems that they can see us as well." answered his Servant, a short bearded man of Asian origin, probably from India. He was somewhere in his thirties, dressed in the same outfit as his Master.

"The forest and castle would obviously have trap spells even though I can't see them. Can you kill them from here?"

"Against Lancer class only my best arrow would prove efficient, but its usage will both kill you, Master, and make me betray an oath to never use it against weaker enemies."

"But you will use it if I'll order you to?" asked the other man, removing a monocle he used to try and find the spells on Einzbern forest and their home.

His Servant nodded and answered without hesitation.

"Yes, if you use one of the Command Seals, I will do it. But I'll prevent any situations that might need such an order."

"It's good that I got an obedient Archer. Let us leave for now." said the older man and went to the stairs that led down.

-

The rest of the time that was left until start of the War went uneventfully. No longer bothered by enemy Servant, Ilya and Lancer took a walk almost every day. Their course usually led them near the sentry seals, including two newest at the church where the War's supervisor lived and Shiro's school. In the end of the trip they made a brief stop near Emiya's household or, sometimes, in the nearby park.

-

-

A\N: This chapter could use some more polish, but I'm tired of hunting down errors. Comments, opinions, ideas are welcome.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

-

In the early school morning, Shiro slept in the storage room. Yesterday, as usual, he tried to give a new life to some of the junk that was gatheredin the storehouse and fell asleep.

He would've overslept school, but a gentle shaking woke him up.

He opened his eyes and he saw Sakura, who smiled when the boy woke up.

"Good morning, sempai. I'm sorry for waking you up, but breakfast is ready."

Shiro stood up, shook off the last remains of his sleepiness and said.

"Sorry I couldn't help you prepare it. You know, you don't have to help me so much."

"That's all right. I'm happy that I can take care of you, sempai. Now, take a shower and come to the dining room, or Fujimura-sensei will be angry." smiled the girl.

"Yes. I don't want to make Fuji-nee angry." laughed Shiro and they walked to the main building.

-

"Shiro. Hurry up, I want to eat already!" heard Shiro when he entered the living room and was greeted by Taiga Fujimura, his guardian and also his English teacher at school.

"I'm sorry, Fuji-nee."

-

After a few minutes of concentrated munching, Taiga remembered something and her chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

"Oh, Shiro. I asked my grandfather about the sheath you told me about, but he said that Kiritsugu never told him about it."

"Don't worry. It was already found." answered the boy and said as he looked at the clock.

"Fuji-nee, you better eat faster, or you'll be late."

Taiga quickly turned to look at the clock and when she saw the time, she jumped up and dashed out of the door, yelling that she'll be late.

"Finish your meal, sempai. I'll go clean the dishes." said Sakura and started to gather empty plates from the table.

"Wait, I'll help you." said Shiro, hurriedly swallowed the last bit of his food, and stood up.

-

As Shiro walked to his classroom, he, as usual, watched one of the girls, Tohsaka Rin, pass by.

"Drop it, Emiya."

"What?" Shiro turned and saw one of Tohsaka's classmates.

"If you aim for Tohsaka Rin, she'll break you heart like she did with Shinji. So stop it."

-

It was already evening when Shiro finished all of his part-time jobs and was walked home.

"Damn, why is my hand itching?" murmured Shiro with irritation as he scratched his hand, wondering why the itch appeared so suddenly.

'I better stop scratching it or I'll make Fuji-nee or Sakura worry for nothing.' thought the boy and was about to enter his home when he noticed a girl, Ilya, stop for a second as she passed by.

"So, you still became a Master? Then you better summon your Servant soon, onii-chan. We went through too many troubles to allow you to die now."

Hearing those words spoken in a shockingly calm voice, Shiro abruptly turned around and loudly asked.

"Wait, what do you mean 'die'? Why?"

Seeing that his words were ignored, he tried again, but with no success.

He frowned and went home, completely forgetting about slowly fading itch in his hand.

-

The time for Holy Grail War has come and mages who were chosen as Masters started to bring forth the legendary heroes that would help them to obtain the wish-granting artifact.

The first one to do so in Fuyuki city was a young redheaded woman dressed in brown business suit.

-

After finishing the incantation, she picked up her earring that was used as a catalyst in the summoning and stepped out of the magic symbol that was drawn on the floor.

'Finally, I'll be able to help him change his past.' thought Bazette Fraga McRemitz, as she smiled in the anticipation of the event she came here for.

She sharply turned back to the circle and asked the tall man, dressed in blue leather armor that was made not to hinder his movements, that appeared there only seconds ago.

"Are you CúChulainn, son of Lugh and Deichtine?"

"Servant Berserker is ready, Master." answered the man in a low, almost growling voice, that spoke volumes about murderous rage that boiled within him, and a red coloured lance appeared in his hand, its end slowly moving as if it traced something.

"Berserker?!" exclaimed Bazette and facepalmed as she said with disappointment.

"Great. I hoped that I'll meet the hero but instead I got a mad killing machine. "

"This is rather unfortunate, isn't it?"

When she heard a voice from behind, the young mage abruptly turned around and entered a defensive stance, cursing that she allowed anyone to sneak up on her.

But when she saw Kotomine Kirei, the man that made it possible for her to participate in this War and, possibly, make one of her dreams into reality, she relaxed.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting you. How did you know that I was summoning a Servant.?" she asked and motioned for Berserker, already prepared for an attack, to stay in his place.

"I am mediator in this War and knowing such things is my job." answered Kotomine as he hid something long under his coat.

"I came to see your success for myself. And before I leave to the church, I want to warn you. Berserker Class Servants have a history of breaking out of their Master's control and even killing them, so be careful."

"Don't worry. I have a weapon he's fated to lose against." smiled Bazette and thought that she wasn't able to detect his approach because she was tired from the summoning.

-

'A Berserker is of no use to me, so you'll live.' thought Kotomine as he walked out.

'It's a pity that I wasn't chosen to be a Master, but maybe I can use Tohsaka Rin to gain a Servant?

-

A young magus finished a magic circle for summoning a Servant that would clear her way to the wish-granting Grail.

"Yes, everything is ready. I'll undoubtedly summon the strongest one." said Tohsaka Rin, strengthening her resolve even further, when she opened a small box that was given to her yesterday and put the item from inside, that looked like a fossilized skin, in the middle of the magic symbol.

She took a spellbook that lay nearby and her strongest jewel, a pendant with a heart shaped ruby, and started to read the incantation.

"I proclaim:

Thy body shall be under me; my fate shall be thy sword.

If the convocation for the Holy Grail acknowledges this resolve and purpose, then grant me a response.

I hereby swear.

I am to become all matter's virtue,

I am to vanquish all matter's evil.

Oh three great words of spirit, ensconced by the seven heavens, overcome the wheel of restraints."

-

Rin concentrated and jewel in her hand glowed, releasing the energy stored within, when the girl said the last words.

"Come to me, my Servant!"

-

Magic symbol beneath her exploded in eerie crimson light and even lit the ground outside the house. At the peak of light's intensity, Rin heard something crash through the roof into one of the rooms in the mansion.

She hurried there and opened the door to one of unused rooms. There, in the moonlight that came through the hole in the ceiling, she saw a young man, clad in golden armor, who sat amidst the wrecked furniture with a frown on his face.

When he saw her, he spoke, but not the words she expected to hear.

"You are a lousy Master, aren't you? To summon me in a such disrespectful way."

Several feelings flashed on Rin's face, from awe at seeing her Servant, to shock and finally anger.

"Know you place Servant!" she said, lifting her hand with a red mark on it.

Her Servant looked at her with an expression that Tohsaka usually used when people not worth her time tried to talk with her and said as he freed himself from the wreckage.

"You should consider yourself blessed that you summoned me, King of Heroes, strongest of all. And that you are still alive after crashing me through the roof and trying to control me, instead of building a golden gateway and begging for my help."

As she watched her Servant, Rin tried very hard to stop herself from using one of her Command Seals to make him obey her as a proper Servant should, but if he was really Gilgamesh, legendary King of Heroes, then his strength was worth enduring that speech.

She closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten before she opened them and asked in a calm voice.

"What is your class, Servant?"

Gilgamesh looked at her, probably thinking of another speech or even an action, but nevertheless answered.

"I was summoned as Saber, but limits of that Class system are nothing to me."

"I see." said Rin and carefully maintaining her calm tone, added.

"Then we are going to patrol the city tonight."

Her Servant lifted an eyebrow and said.

"Oh? You should know that I won't help if you are too weak to handle the enemies you'll meet."

-

"This is only place you know about?" asked her Servant as they stood near Mato's mansion.

"No. We came here because Mato family is one of three founders of Grail War, so they must have a Master. But it seems that they didn't summon their Servant yet. I'll check them tomorrow at school. Now we'll go to another place that can have a Master."

'I hope he was right and I'll finish the War soon. I might not have enough patience to deal with this Servant for two weeks.' thought Rin as they walked through the streets to the Emiya's residence where, according to the priest that supervised the War, Kotomine Kirei, a Master could live.

-

In the night that Emiya Shiro was supposed to be wounded by a Servant and later summon his own, Ilya and Lancer sat on their usual bench near Emiya's house and waited. Their plan was to fight the Servant that would chase after the boy. Later they intended to either force him to give away his Command Seals, or follow Ilya's idea and simply kill the Servant that he would summon.

"Lancer, a Servant and his Master are coming." said and pointed towards where she felt a distortion in a barrier she set around the neighborhood.

Emilya nodded and traced her naginata, while strips of flexible bronze-like metal appeared on her coat, protecting her joints and neck. As a final touch, her coat slightly shifted in form and now looked more like leather armor than a casual clothing.

When the preparations were finished, Lancer leaped on the nearby roof for a better view.

The other girl jumped from the bench, ran around the corner and disappeared in the shadows of the house her Servant stood on. It was a place both easy to hide in and it provided some cover should a battle occur.

After she saw the enemy, she jumped down and looked forward at the pair that leisurely walked towards her. She definitely knew the shorter of two, a girl dressed in red and black with twin ponytails and cold, calculative eyes. But her Servant, a tall blond man in golden armor, wasn't the one she was expecting.

'Who is he? Where's Archer?'

-

"Heh. To make you stand in my way, your Master must very confident." said the blond Servant when he and his Master came closer to their destination and saw a young woman with a long white hair, dressed in a long violet armored coat and armed with a polearm. The jewels, that adorned the place where the long curved blade connected to the shaft, glinted in the moonlight at the same level as the woman's crimson eyes.

"Judging from your looks, you are either Lancer or Archer." mused the golden Servant and said in a gratuitous tone.

"Rejoice Master, because now you will see the power of the strongest of heroes."

He casually snapped his fingers and something shot from the air nearby toward another Servant. It was barely seen from the sheer speed it flied at, but the woman briefly glowed with a blue light and she swiftly sidestepped the projectile.

"You shot the sword?! What kind of Saber are you?" exclaimed Rin, when the dust from the impact settled and she saw that a sword handle and part of the blade protruded from the ground. She wasn't about to oppose the way her Servant fought, but a Saber that attacked by shooting his sword out of the thin air was a little too surprising to hold in.

-

While Rin talked with her Servant, Emilya, in a quiet, yet clear voice, started the incantation that always helped her to concentrate on what she did best.

'I'm sorry, Tosaka. I'll try not to kill you.'

"My body is made of swords.

Iron is my blood, and glass is my heart.

I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated."

-

"I already said that I'm beyond such limitations. Now I'll kill Lancer and we'll go after other Servants. Maybe we'll even kill them all tonight." answered Gilgamesh and when he turned his attention to the Lancer, dozens of weapons appeared in the air behind his back.

But before he fired them, Rin's troubled voice made him to look back.

"Saber!"

"Eh?"

There, in a flash of light, appeared a creature that looked like an old suit of plate armor with a ball of raging blue light in its chest. It looked like it was made from bronze, but it proved to be far more durable when its fist cracked the pavement where Rin stood a second ago.

"You! How dare you use such cheap tricks!" furiously yelled Gilgamesh and turning back, he unleashed several dozens of Noble Phantasms that floated behind him, but his enemy already disappeared behind the house and judging by the sound, she was out of his reach now.

"Damn it! I'll kill her for sure!" cursed King of Heroes and looked back to see how his Master was doing.

-

Landing close to the nearby light post, Tosaka pulled out several jewels so she could destroy the golem, but underestimated the creature's speed and the jewels flew away when even a grazing hit of the armor's fist had enough power to nearly dislocate her shoulder.

Crying out from blinding pain, the girl fell to her knees, but instead of a finishing blow, she heard a sound of metal being cut apart and her Servant's arrogant laugh.

"You couldn't handle even a mere toy, could you? But you are lucky once again, Master. I still need you, so I could kill this wench."

"Saber. Shut up." hissed Tosaka, when her anger at the Servant and, to some extent, shame at being almost killed in her first battle, briefly overpowered her pain.

-

Suddenly, a boy walked out from the entrance of their target house.

"What happened? Do you need any help?" asked Shiro, as he picked up a small red jewel that was near his feet.

"Is this yours?"

-

"Saber, hide!" said Rin, as she tried to muster enough strength to stand up, but her Servant shrugged and as he answered, several swords appeared in the air near him, causing Shiro to first step back in fear and then run inside.

"He already seen us and as I understand 'leave no witnesses' is one of the rules of this War."

-

"You can't run away from me, you mongrel." said Gilgamesh, as weapons from his treasury tore a hole in the wall and he walked to the building he saw the boy ran into.

"Couldn't you do it silently?!" angrily asked Rin, less then impressed by the show her Servant made.

"A king never sneaks in. If something is in my way, I bring it down and step over it." answered Gilgamesh and with a snap of his fingers, a torrent of swords tore through the storehouse walls, their flight accompanied by several flesh-tearing sounds.

-

'Who were they? Why?' thought Shiro as he lay on the floor with blood pouring out of wounds on his side and legs. He tried to move, but his body refused to respond.

'Is… is this how my dream of becoming a hero of justice will end? With such a meaningless death?!'

In desperation, he gathered all of his will and managed to crawl several meters to the exit, before he fell on the floor again, barely conscious.

The jewel, that he still held, fell from his limp hand and rolled along the floor towards an old pentagram written on it. Upon contact, the magic symbol erupted in a bright white light.

The last thing the boy saw before his eyes closed, was a young woman that appeared from within the light.

"Master!" yelled the woman and after a quick scan of surroundings, she hurried to him.

-

"Wake up, Emiya. Wake up."

Those simple words brought Shiro back from the void he was in and return of his consciousness was immediately rewarded with a dull pain from his wounds.

He tried to move, or at least open his eyes, but a strict voice stopped him.

"Stop trying to move, Emiya. Or I'll have to save your life again." said a strangely familiar voice.

'Who's she? She sounds like Tohsaka' thought Shiro, when he managed to push this thought through a blanket of dizziness that seemed to cover his mind.

After a short rustling of clothes, he felt someone's warm hands on his chest and the woman said with amusement in her voice.

"Oh, by the way, Master. I, Servant Caster, will help you achieve Grail if that is your wish."

"Tohsaka Rin?" croaked Shiro, literally forcing the words through his throat.

"Yes." answered Caster, amusement in her voice growing into laughter as the redheaded boy felt that his eyelids became unbelievably heavy and fell asleep.

-

The boy slept for several hours while Caster carefully mended his wounds with her magic. Mana from the jewel, that was used to summon her, was already gone and the Servant used her own now. Even though her reserves were steadily depleting each time she renewed the healing spell, she readily poured more and more energy into the boy.

'Damn. Why did I have to be summoned by such a careless Master? If he won't wake up soon and start giving me Mana, I'll have to resort to that infernal thing for support.' thought Caster when the healing process was finally over and the boy's condition changed to a deep sleep.

'I better conserve whatever I have left. He'll wake me up if he needs to.' decided Caster and laid near the boy, preparing for the rest.

-

Shiro slowly woke up and when he opened his eyes, he saw his living room's ceiling. Then he heard someone's soft breathing nearby and turned around to see, ignoring a spike of pain from his side.

On the floor, close to his bed, was a sleeping young woman dressed in a red blouse, mostly covered by her long black hair and a long black skirt. At first he thought that she was Rin, but the woman was at least ten years older than the girl he knew from school.

He looked at the clock nearby and saw that only a few hours has passed since Sakura and Fuji-nee left. Deciding to prepare some food for his guest, as well as look around the house to see if that man in golden armor was a dream, he carefully stood up and moved the woman from the floor to the bed.

-

"Wake up. Please, wake up."

Several gentle words pulled Caster from her sleep and she saw that she was in the bed that she earlier put Shiro in. The boy himself stood near her bed with a tray that was full of food.

"Emiya, I thought I told you to stay in the bed?" said Caster. She still couldn't feel any Mana from the boy, a sign that he wasn't healed enough.

The boy blushed and put the tray with food and tea near the girl, before he answered.

"I'm fine now. I saw that you were sleeping, so I decided to prepare some for you. You must be tired from taking care of me."

"Yes, thank you, Master. But why I can't feel any energy from you, if you're healed?"

"Master? Why are you calling me that?" asked the boy, feeling uneasy.

"Why am I calling you that? Emiya, what kind of magi are you? How could you enter the Holy Grail War and don't know that?!" asked Caster, blinking in surprise.

"Holy Grail War?!" asked equally surprised Shiro, not understanding what the girl talked about.

Rin facepalmed and said in a weary voice.

"We can go to the War's supervisor. He can explain to you much better than I can, but, basically, Holy Grail War is a two weeks long event during which seven magi, with help of spirits of legendary warriors they summoned, fight each other to the death. The winner will be granted any wish."

"Fight to the death?! I won't to kill anyone, Tosaka!"

Caster slightly winced from the boy's, very intense, protest and raised her hand to interrupt him.

"Then you'll have to visit the War's supervisor. And you _are_ a Master. Command seals on your hand are a proof to that."

-

Rin stepped towards the exit, but suddenly stopped and, turning to the boy, asked.

"Do you have a hooded coat or something alike?"

"Yes, but why do you need one?"

Caster rolled her eyes and said.

"Because of what will happen if we meet somebody who knows Rin? Drawing too much attention is very dangerous, especially for a Caster class Servant."

-

"Why did you run away? I thought you could defeat Tohsaka's Servant?" irritably asked Ilya, cradled in her Servant's arms as flew through the city, but Lancer remained silent.

Soon they landed on a roof near the building that they chose as one of the best observation posts in the city and Emilya once again switched the reinforcement spell cast on her body to a stronger version, to double the distance of her jump so she could reach the roof.

-

After a soft landing, Lancer, still enveloped in a blue glow of excess energy that was forced out of the enchantment when it was changed back, put her Master down and walked to the roof's edge, so she could observe the town below while not interfering with Ilya's actions.

"That's strange. I though at least Archer will come to this place, but the barrier won't show anything." murmured Ilya as she checked the magic field she set around this roof. when she failed to find a single distortion in the field's boundaries that could potentially lead to a discovery of a hideout of one of the Masters, Ilya turned to her Servant and asked.

"So, why did you ran away, instead of fighting?"

Emilya turned her attention away from the city and answered, with slight hesitation.

"He wasn't the Servant I expected and I decided not to risk. After all, we still need to disrupt Zouken's plans for Sakura."

"So... We can't rely on your memories to find the identities of other Servants and Masters, or their plans." frowned Ilya, but brightened and clasped her hands together when she remembered the next stage of their plan.

"Then, we'll do things my way. We'll meet Shiro on his way to the church, kill the Servant he summoned and I'll finally have him stay with me in the castle. I want to do so many things with him." Ilya stopped as she tried to remember something and turning to her Servant asked.

"Do you remember when Shiro went to the church?"

Lancer nodded and took the girl in her arms, before her body glowed with a blue light again and leaped off the building.

-

"Now where is he again?" grumbled Ilya as she sat in Lancer's arms and waited for Shiro and his Servant to pass by.

"Are you sure that they went this way? I'm bored already!"

"Yes, I won't forget how I met you and Berserker for the first time when I returned from the priest." answered Lancer.

After several more minutes of waiting, Ilya suddenly jumped of taller woman's hands and looked in the church's direction.

"One Servant walked to the church. That must mean that they only got there." Illyasviel sighed and returned to her place in Emilya's hands, prepared to wait more.

-

After about an hour long walk, Shiro and his Servant, who hid herself under a yellow raincoat, arrived to their destination.

"A church? Why here?"

"It's customary to have someone from the Church to supervise the War, because they can't leave a contest with something like the Holy Grail to be watched over by anyone else." said Caster and pulled the hood even lower then before, before she added.

"I can't let him hear my voice, or see me, because he knows real Tohsaka Rin. I'll add to his explanations later, if you'll still have any questions left."

"Fine."

-

"What brought you here, boy? How can this servant of God help you?" asked the priest, when he saw the newcomers. He was a black-haired, middle-aged man with smooth and accurate movements and black eyes, almost devoid of expression as was his imposing voice.

"Ah, my name is Emiya Shiro. I was told to come here by…" Caster interrupted Shiro before he could uncover who she was with a sharp jab to his side, causing the priest to lightly smile.

"I wanted to ask about the Grail War."

"Ohh? Are you a Master? And the woman near you, can she be your Servant?"

"Y-Yes. She told me that since I have these marks, I'll have to kill other people. But I don't understand what is this War, or Master, or why I have to kill someone!"

"Then let me introduce myself. I'm Kotomine Kirei, the supervisor of the War of the Holy Grail." Kirei stopped for several seconds, to give the boy enough time to understand, and continued.

"Listen, Emiya Shiro. You've been chosen by the Holy Grail as one of seven mages that are given a powerful spirit, a Servant, to fight for possession of the sacred relic. Once all others are defeated, the winner will be granted any wish he desires."

"I have no reason to fight. And if it's so great, why it can't be shared?"

"You don't have a reason? The Holy Grail War is a ritual to select one, who is most worthy of receiving the Grail's power. If Grail is wished upon by a person with a dark heart, this War might end like the previous one, which took place ten years ago."

"Ten years? Then…" Shiro lost his voice for a moment as he remembered a conflagration that destroyed a big part of the city ten years ago and killed countless people, along with his family.

"That can happen again?! Are you insane to repeat this fight?!"

"Magi Association won't interfere whatever happens in the War. The only way to prevent the unworthy to reach the Grail, is for you to win. This is most reliable way."

Kotomine paused and watched the boy's expression shift from stubborn denial to accepting the fact that he was a Master.

'It'll be interesting to see how the boy will behave. Maybe he'll have an answer I wasn't able to get from Kiritsugu.' thought the priest and asked the final question.

"Will you fight Emiya Shiro, or will you idly sit and hope that this time somebody else will prevent a disaster?"

"I… I will fight." answered the boy and felt that Caster pulled him outside.

"Good bye, Emiya." said the priest and not waiting for the boy's response, he walked away.

-

Outside of the church, Tosaka moved the hood up, so it won't hinder her vision and said to Shiro as they walked home.

"You don't have to kill Masters if you don't want to."

"What?"

"The Grail is a spiritual entity and only Servants can touch it." Caster noticed Shiro's face brightening up and continued.

"But Servants, being spirits of very powerful warriors, are very hard to kill even for other Servants. And since without a Master they can't exist…"

"The most efficient way will be killing the Master." Shiro frowned as he finished Caster's line of thought.

"Yes. And Servants don't disappear immediately and can make a contract with another Master if he still has his Command Seals."

-

Shiro and Caster silently walked home. The boy was still thinking over the talk he had earlier and didn't notice that Caster stopped, until she grabbed his hand.

"There are other Servant and Master ahead. Let's take some other way to your home." whispered the woman and started to pull him toward the side street, when a young and cheery voice stopped them.

"Finally you are here. I already started to think that you decided to quit the War."

"What do you want now? If you want to answer my questions, then it's too late. I know most answers already. Or do you want to warn me again that somebody wants to kill me?" asked Shiro, when he remebered Caster's words about Illyasviel.

-

Ilya smiled and pointed at Caster, before she said.

"No, I want to kill your Servant, so I'll be the one protecting you, not her. Do it, Lancer!"

Almost immediately after those words, Caster jumped away from Shiro, to protect him from possible stray attacks, and saw that Lancer, who was on the other side of the street from Ilya, dashed to her with a naginata prepared to strike.

-

While she was still in mid jump, Caster took aim at the rapidly approaching Servant and whispered.

"Gand."

With a single word, she shot a volley of dark colored energy bolts and cursed when they were sidestepped.

Deciding to bring heavier weapons to battle, Caster willed several gems to appear in her hands and used them to launch a swarm of ice shards that could freeze anything, aimed to make Lancer immobile and vulnerable.

-

Lancer's body flashed with blue light and she struck the ground with her weapon, then flung herself over her enemy's ice attack.

As she quickly descended to her target, Emilya quickly slashed with her weapon and, moonlight that reflected from the blade, hid from Caster the flight of a single droplet of water that fell behind the hooded woman.

-

Tohsaka was about to manifest her sword to block the incoming attack and, hopefully, regain distance, but a sudden impact from behind caused her to lose the balance and broke open her guard. When Lancer's blade whistled to her neck, she desperately tried to fall aside, with her hood flying off from the abrupt movement and revealing her face.

-

'Rin?!' thought shocked Lancer and stopped the swing that could've ended Caster's life, when she took note of Caster's green eyes, black hair that framed a very familiar face and jewels in one of hands that clutched a shallow cut on her throat.

-

Lancer lowered her naginata and was about to ask Caster how she became a Heroic Spirit, but Shiro chose that moment to interfere.

He ran to Caster when he saw the wound and when he stood between her and other woman, he angrily shouted at Ilya.

"How can you do this? You can't kill someone just because you don't like them! Weren't you taught that by your family?"

The boy noticed Lancer's weapon move and fearing that she wanted to kill Caster, he entered a defensive stance, even though he knew would it was useless.

"If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me first."

-

Ilya narrowed her eyes in anger and shouted back at the redheaded boy.

"Silence, Shiro! You know nothing about me and I have your life in my hands, so you can't scold me!"

"Even you hate me." Ilya sighed and sadness, mixed with disappointment, abruptly replaced anger in her voice. She turned around and ordered.

"Lancer, we are leaving. If he wants a Servant without a Mana supply to protect him and die in the next battle, then so be it. Maybe he'll regret it when he meets a Master that won't forgive him any mistakes."

-

When the girl and her Servant walked out of his sight, Shiro turned to Caster and asked.

"Can I help you somehow?"

Caster slowly moved her hands away from her throat that had no trace of the wound left and answered with a sigh.

"Yes, if you started to supply me with Mana, it would've helped a lot. But you can't do that, can you, Master?"

"Maybe there are other ways to do it?"

"Oh, yes." Caster silently laughed, before she continued." I can get Mana from you if I'll sleep with you, or I can take your magic circuits, crippling your future as a magus. You also can use your Command Seal to order me to gather the energy I need from other humans, killing some of them in the process."

She was silent for several seconds, watching rapidly changing expressions on the boy's face, before she asked.

"So, what is your order Master? I won't hurt you even if you order me to share you bed, or kill humans."

"N-no. I won't do anything like this." stammered Shiro, before he steeled himself, at least visibly, and continued.

"You can use my circuits. I don't have much of a future as a mage anyway."

-

"Emiya, you are the most stupidly unselfish person I ever met. But I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that. I'll use one of my…" Caster stopped and one of her eyes twitched as she searched for a right word. "… possessions, to refill my Mana supply, but be careful when I use it. This… thing has a mind of its own."

Caster stood up, pushing Shiro away and whispered.

"Kaleidostick."

-

-

Comments, suggestions, reviews are welcome. Also, the next chapter might be later then usual four days because I might polish this or previous chapters.

Oh, and look at my profile for Emilya's Servant Status if anybody is interested.


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

-

I finished this chapter and moved outline of chapter 0 between the prologue and chapter 1, because I'll need this change if\when I start writing chapter 0.

-

-

In a flash of rainbow colored light, a winged wand appeared in Caster's hand and she held breath for a brief moment, before her red blouse and black skirt suddenly shifted and became a long red and yellow jacket with short white skirt. Red shoulder length gloves that left her fingers free, red boots red with thigh high socks and, what looked like, a long scarf that hang loosely behind her back, finished her outfit.

-

"Why are you giving me that blank look, Emiya?" asked Caster, when she saw that the boy looked at her with eyes devoid of thought.

"Ahh, not now! That's why I hate this thing!" almost shouted the woman, when Shiro's clothes morphed into a white tux and as she felt Kaleidostick modify her personality, she could've sworn that she heard a mental snicker.

-

"I'm a magical warrior, Kaleido Ruby! Come, my partner, we have a long night of protecting love and justice before us!" exclaimed Caster and grabbed her Master's hand, before she jumped high into the sky, leaving a rainbow colored trail behind.

-

"Sempai? Wake up, or you'll be late for school."

Shiro slowly opened his eyes and saw his room's ceiling above. He also felt that he still had his clothes on.

'This is strange. I don't remember how I got home.'

"Finally, I tried to wake you up for almost half an hour."

-

As he started to turn around so he could stand up, he said to Sakura, who stood near his bed.

"I'm sorry. I must've been very tired yesterday…" He trailed off when he felt somebody hold his hand harder as he pulled it from under the bed cover. Turning around he saw Caster dressed in a outfit that radically differed from yesterday's.

-

"Who is she? How did she get here?" asked Sakura with a slight edge in her voice, put there by the sight of Shiro who shared the bed with other woman. They _were_ fully clothed, but it still irritated her.

"Ahh. She is…" Shiro quickly switched his attention from plum-haired girl to Tohsaka, as he tried to find an explanation. He wasn't sure why he needed one so badly, but something in Sakura's eyes prompted him to find one and fast.

"She is one my father acquaintances and she probably decided to sleep here when she arrived. Yesterday's night I went for a long walk and when I came back, I was so tired I didn't notice her in my bed."

-

"Oh. Should we wake her up too? Or do you want to leave her all alone in your house?" asked Sakura, slightly distrustful of the guest when she saw her dress and what looked like cat ears on her head.

Shiro noticed the unusual headgear himself and answered when he remembered the wound that Caster took from that white haired woman called Lancer.

"Yes, I think she needs to rest. I trust her not to cause trouble here."

"Then, we should eat breakfast."

"Yes, I'll be with you in a second. I need to change first."

If they stayed a minute longer they would've seen how Caster turned around in her sleep and a cat-like tail coiled around her waist.

-

Caster yawned and stretched on the bed as sleep left her. When she looked around, she saw that she was in Emiya's bed again and the boy himself wasn't anywhere around.

'Why isn't he around? I might not be able to become invisible, but I doubt that we'll be spared like yesterday.'

-

Frowning, she concentrated on the link between herself and her Master and felt that he was far away and wasn't moving.

'He must be in school now. He'll use the Command Seals if another Servant attacks him and since I'm obviously not wanted now, I'll make some preparations for future fights.'

-

She began to materialize her jewels so she could start, a habit that just refused to die, but remembered how the boy tried to protect her from Lancer and her tail twitched in irritation.

'Of course, the usual Master would've used them. But Emiya might choose to die just because he thinks that I'm still wounded. I have to go after him.'

-

Her tail twitched again and this time Caster noticed how she looked. As she looked for yesterday's raincoat, she recalled what happened after she summoned Kaleidostick.

Especially the 'Hero of Justice' Emiya in a white tux and the throwing swords that, despite rose-shaped hilts, he used with power and precision.

"At least he's calm now. I was afraid that he was going to freak out after he saw me or remembered the night events… Or is it because he doesn't remember?"

-

Meanwhile, in Tohsaka mansion, its owner woke up from a loud noise that was accompanied by several equally loud voices that came from the room that Saber chose as his resting place.

-

With a groan, she shook off the remains of much wanted sleep and stood up. She flinched from a flash of pain in her shoulder as she dressed and walked to the source of the noise, swearing that she'll choke him if she had to wake up, because of some stupid reason.

-

When she opened the door to his room, she froze still.

Inside, her Servant was on a red and golden bed that definitely wasn't there just a few hours ago.

In fact, all of the furniture was replaced with what looked like a lot more expensive versions. And what's worse, it was replaced not by magical means, as she could've expected from someone who called himself 'King of Heroes, but by movers from one of the most famous companies that took an ungodly amount of money for their services.

-

"Saber…" Tohsaka had to forcibly restrain herself from telling her Servant what she really thought about this situation and slowly, carefully choosing her words, she continued.

"What… are you think… you're doing!!!?"

"Eh.? Oh, good morning, Master. As you see this room is a place worthy of my presence now. You can thank me for changing it without telling you to change it yourself."

"Thank you?!" a vein popped on Rin's forehead and she had to restrain herself again. Instead she directed a smoldering glare at men before her.

The workers, shivering from hatred that filled the girl's eyes, decided to ask for payment and retreat before they found themselves in a crossfire.

-

When they told the price for buying everything and then moving it in a record time, shock replaced most of anger in Tohsaka's thoughts. Desperatlyy holding onto the fact that she might've heard the price wrong, she decided to ask again.

"How much again?"

When the workers repeated the amount, exactly the same as she heard at first, Rin sighed and said.

"I'll be the first who quit because his… guard made him bankrupt."

In her mind the girl continued. 'I'm sorry father, I should've known that that catalyst was nothing, but a trap that gives a worse possible Servant. Now I'll even lose our home.'

-

"Bankrupt?" asked Gilgamesh in a slight surprise, before he reached behind his back, in a place that the workers couldn't see and took a small sack out of his treasury. When he threw it on the floor, the sack burst opened and ancient looking gold coins and all kinds of jewels spilled on the floor from it. Laughing as he watched the shocked expressions of people around him, he said.

"As long as you're blessed with my presence, money is of no concern."

-

About ten minutes after the workers left her house, Tosaka finally regained her senses to stand up from the chair, she sat to prevent herself from falling down, and said in a weary voice.

"I'll go make myself a breakfast and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee."

But before she left, Saber took a remote that laid near him and a bell ringed from where, as Tosaka remembered, was the kitchen. About a minute later, the door to their room opened and a maid walked in, with several trays that were filled with food. When she placed them on the table in the center of the room, all in front of Gilgamesh, the maid turned to Rin and asked in calm and polite voice.

"Do you wish to have breakfast as well, lady Tohsaka?"

'This is giving me a headache.' thought Rin and rubbing her temples, she nodded in response.

-

After a half and hour long meal, Saber's Master felt herself much better, partially thanks to painkillers that the maid brought, when she noticed her condition, and decided to ask before she went to school.

"You will accompany me to school, Servant? Or do you plan more changes to my home?"

Gilgamesh looked at her and answered, as he swiftly rose from bed.

"I think I'll take a walk in the city. I want to see how people live in this age. If you are too scared to go by yourself, I'll allow you to accompany me."

-

For a minute, Tohsaka considered the idea of going with him and using his wealth to buy enough jewels and materials, so no 'mere toy', as her Servant called that living armor, could disable her that quickly. Soon she came to a decision and put her book bag down.

"Fine. Servant, we're going on a shopping trip."

-

Illyasviel slowly walked through the city with Lancer at her side. There wasn't any specific purpose behind this walk, she just didn't feel like staying in the castle.

-

'How can you say that he doesn't hate me? He must hate me if he was ready to fight us to keep his Servant instead of letting me fight for him.' asked Ilya, not with words as it was too inconvenient in a place with a lot of people, but with her thoughts. Soon she received a mental answer.

'But he doesn't know that the Grail is tainted. He probably wants to fight himself instead of relying on another and undo that conflagration ten years ago.'

"That's stupid. How can he accomplish anything with that weak Servant? He should've at least tried to ally with us.'

'I think our last meeting wasn't looking friendly enough to him to think of that. And he is a man that follows his feelings instead of seeking to gain an advantage.'

Suddenly, Ilya felt her Servant tense and concentrated on locating enemies. A few seconds later she found a presence of a Servant and his Master on another side of the street,

'It's Saber.' Emilya informed her and received a reply.

'He won't attack now, so don't worry about me.'

-

Tosaka walked with her hands filled with purchases. They were mostly clothes and medical supplies that she got for her shoulder. She could use the power of one of her jewels to completely heal it, but after she lost several of them in one night, she had too few left to spend them on a light pain that could hinder, neither her movements, nor her thoughts.

As she checked the presence of a small box with recently bought precious stones, that waited to be charged with energy and became her weapons, she saw Saber rise his hand, his sight fixed on a young white haired girl and felt that he was about to attack.

"What are you doing? There are too many people here." Tosaka said in an angry whisper, causing her Servant to turn around and look at her.

For a moment, when she saw his eyes, she was afraid that his answer was going to be something like 'Don't worry Master, I won't leave any.', but instead he said.

"It's Lancer and her Master. But you are right. I always can kill the mongrel later."

"She's Lancer's Master? She just a child." said Rin in a disbelieving voice when she looked at the girl that looked no older than ten, or twelve years.

"Heh. You shouldn't underestimate your enemies, Master. Or you already forgot what that toy did to you?" asked Gilgamesh with amusement in his voice that caused Tohsaka to lose most of her good mood for the rest of their walk.

-

At the Tokyo harbor, a ship from the continent arrived a half an hour ago and passengers that walked out of the port, ignored or carefully avoided a man, his face hidden by a hat and a light scarf, who limped towards a taxi.

One of the sleeves of his black suit, that was empty and tucked in a pocket, fell out when he opened the door and slowly got into the car.

He rose his hand to his throat, as if he was afraid that a minimal effort will break it, and said in a quiet and raspy voice.

"Train station, please."

-

When they stopped at the red traffic light, driver, who was curious of what happened to his passenger, asked.

"Are you a war veteran?"

The man turned his attention from the window.

"War veteran? Why do you ask?"

The driver was silent for a few moments, because he felt uncomfortable with something that could bring out unpleasant memories in his passenger, but answered.

"My friend's grandfather had his entire side messed up by an unlucky explosion when he fought. It's a miracle he survived. You reminded me of him."

"I'm not that old, but I need a miracle myself." The man started to laugh, but quickly clutched his throat and said nothing for the rest of the trip.

-

It was already close to evening when Shiro returned home.

"I'm home."

Caster walked out of the living room and carefully scanned him with her eyes.

"Good evening, Master. Let me ask you one thing. Can you tell me what you remember from yesterday's night?"

Shiro frowned and answered.

"I remember being almost killed, how you healed me and how Lancer attacked you. Why do you ask?"

Caster sighed, partly in relief, and said.

"No, nothing. Also, promise me that you will not hesitate to use a Command Seal to summon me if danger appears. I 'm no longer wounded and I'm here to protect you, after all."

"I promise." answered Shiro and went to the kitchen where he wanted to prepare dinner, so Sakura was relieved, at least, from that chore.

Caster glared at Kaleidostick that she carried with her and decided to go to her room, so their guests would be spared the shock of seeing a magical cat-girl.

-

After a half an hour, Sakura walked into the Emiya household, along with Taiga, whom she met on her way, and saw that Shiro was already busy in the kitchen.

"Sempai, you don't have to do it, if you had a hard day. I'll be happy to cook for you."

"I can't just sit and let you do all the work. I'm used to it, anyway."

-

Soon, the dinner was prepared and when they sat to eat, Sakura noticed that the woman, she saw in the morning, wasn't here.

"Why is your guest not with us? Did she leave?"

"A guest? Who is she?" asked Taiga, surprised that no-one told her about her.

Shiro paused and scratched his head as he thought how he could explain why Caster wasn't with , he asnwered.

"She is one of father's friends and since she has some work to do, I didn't want to interrupt her studies. I'll take her portion to her room later."

"Kiritsugu's friend?" asked Taiga with a thoughtful look.

'Maybe Shiro didn't tell me about his guest, because the woman knows how to manipulate people and now she charmed him? I'll have to talk with her, before she stole his heart away from Sakura. Maybe she even aims to become his guardian instead of me!  
I have to stop her, or I'll never taste another deliocious meal!

"I'll have a long talk with your guest, Shiro. Tomorrow morning, I think."

-

Sakura, with Taiga as her escort, slowly walked home, when she heard someone's approaching soft steps. When she turned around, she saw a young woman that slowly walked to them. In the dim light, she could see a long white hair and dark coat, but her face and the rest of her features were hidden.

"What do you want?" asked Taiga as she looked at the woman with suspicion.

"I'm one of Kiritsugu's friends, Emilya. You can even say that he raised me as his... own child. I'm here to talk with Sakura."

"One of his friends? Do you know the one who lives with Emiya Shiro now?" asked Taiga, slightly suspicious that Emilya was here to take away Sakura, so the girl wouldn't interfere with newest guest's plans of seducing the boy.

"Yes, I do. But we are not on the best terms." Emilya paused for a second and asked.

"Can I walk with Sakura to her home? I promise I'll protect her if needed."

"Well… If Sakura agrees." The girl in question nodded and Taiga relented.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura." said Taiga, before she turned around and walked away. Normally, she would've adamantly refused, but Kiritsugu always seemed such a trustworthy person that her trust transferred to his friends to some extent.

-

When they were left alone, the newcomer turned to Sakura.

"Now let's go. I'll have a lot of things to tell you."

-

As they walked, Emilya started her tale.

"If you noticed, I'm a Servant. Servant Lancer." Hearing this, Sakura jerked away, thinking that the woman already knew that she summoned a Servant for Mato family today and was going to kill her.

Lancer smiled and said.

"As I promised to Fuji-nee, I'm here to protect you, not harm."

She took a deep breath and when Sakura calmed down, Lancer continued.

"I'm here to remove the things in your body that were made by your grandfather. Because if I don't, they'll turn the rest of your life into even worse nightmare, devoid of even a hope that is Shiro for you now. Also I can deal with Zouken and Shinji as harsh as you want."

"Remove? Deal with? Who are you? Why?" asked Sakura and took a step back from the Servant that knew things about her, that nobody knew, except her family.

"I want to get you away from your family and prevent a disaster from happening."

Sakura took another step back from Lancer and would've thought that the woman was just trying to lure her away from her home so the Matos would lose their Master, if her words weren't so close to truth.

Servant slowly stepped towards the girl and asked.

"Will you let me help you? I'll do my best to make sure that you and Shiro will watch the blossoming cherry trees, as he promised."

"Ahh…" Sakura blushed as she heard that. She didn't remember Shiro telling her anything like it, but if actions of this Servant could lead to such promises….

"I agree. When do we do it?"

"In a sec. I Just need to bring something with us." smiled Lancer, seeming greatly relieved that the accepted her help. She quickly walked to where she stood waiting for Sakura to pass by and picked up what looked like a golden sheath and a dagger with a jagged blade.

"Now we are all set. Let's go to the church. Priest there might not be kind hearted..." A short laugh interrupted Emilya's words, but she quickly got a hold on herself and continued.

"But he is adept at healing arts, so he can remove those things."

-

Soon they arrived to the church and Emilya stopped before the doors and turned to Sakura, smiling.

"Final preparation. Don't be afraid, I try to make it quick."

Emilya gripped the sheath, that she carried all the way here, tighter and it started to dimly glow as the item approached the smaller girl's body. The sheath dressed into a golden light when it was supposed to touch her clothes and going through them, it disappeared inside.

-

"Now all that is left is to remove those things inside." said the Servant taking the girl's hand and after she quickly bandaged Sakura's hand, they walked into the building.

-

"Kotomine Kirei! Where are you?" shouted Lancer when they entered the building.

"Who is it?" asked a calm voice and moments later, the priest himself appeared from one of the doors that lead deeper into the building.

"I need you to heal that girl. There are taint-infused familiars in her body that cause her to suffer."

When she heard those words spoken so freely, a thought that the priest might call her family to learn more and, eventually, that information might reach Shiro, filled Sakura with cold dread. With fear clear in her eyes, she tried to pry her hand free and run away.

"Sakura, he won't tell anyone. He's interested in healing you too." said Lancer, as she tried to sooth the girl.

"As a priest it's my duty to help those in need. But I can't help, but think that you were talking about something else, were you?"

"Yes, your dream of seeing the Holy Grail complete depends on it. Heal her and I won't use my knowledge of your plans." Lancer answered, narrowing her eyes.

"Then we have an agreement." asnwered Kotomine and examined the pair closer. The taller woman was definitely a Servant and he could see the Holy Mark on the younger girl's hand, but he doubted that they had a contract. When he turned around, Kirei said in a sharp voice.

"Follow me. I will do my best to help you and I will keep silence on this matter, Sakura Mato."

-

After almost an hour long session, Kotomine appeared from the room where he performed surgery with his magic, looking tired, and said to Lancer who waited in a nearby chair.

"I removed most of them, but the last one is in her heart and she might die during removal."

Emilya sighed and stood up before she answered.

"Do it. Our deal won't be broken even if she dies." 'But I hope Avalon will help her survive.'

"As you wish."

-

Watching as the priest prepared for the operation, Emilya suddenly heard Sakura start to laugh, in a way that sent shivers down her spine, and saw that her hair started to lose color, becoming white.

'Damn! Zouken must've felt that we're removing them!' thought Emilya as a very familiar cloth-like pattern started to cover what she could see of the Sakura's body and shadows around her seemed to come to life.

-

Lancer moved to Sakura's body with a lightning speed and in a blink of an eye she threw the priest away and hoping that the girl's body wasn't lethal to touch yet, she tore the tainted familiar from her heart. To her surprise and fear, the wound she just created started to close and disappeared.

'Time for Rule Breaker.' thought Lancer and her other hand blured.

-

Sakura felt that something stung her hand before a bright purple flash blinded her for several seconds and caused tears to appear in her eyes from the sheer intensity of the light. The now- white haired girl blinked away her tears and got off the table, ignoring her blood covered chest and hand.

"All of things that Zouken used to control you are gone now." said Lancer and took a wary step back.

-

Sakura's body dressed into a cloud of shadow and Lancer heard her voice from within, that, surprisingly, sounded a lot less crazed than she remembered from her past.

"Zouken? Ohh, that's right. Grandfather would love to meet the one he tried to create all this years. I'm coming, grandfather!"

With these words, strips of darkness enveloped the girl, forming a tight long black dress with red stripes, and she disappeared in the shadows at her feet.

'I have to make sure she kills noone. She'll never forgive herself if she does.' With this thought running through her mind, Emilya ran outside and, to her relief, she found that the girl just reappeared on the street.

-

She leaped from building to building as she scanned the streets that lead to the Mato mansion, intercepting and stunning several people that could cross their way with Shadow and with a hope that more won't appear, she hurried to Sakura's home.

-

'Now what do I do? I can't let Sakura kill someone. She'll never forgive herself.' thought Lancer as she landed in front of the house.

'I have to either save them, or kill them.'

Her thoughts were cut short when she saw Shadow in the end of the, thankfully, empty street and understood that she had only a few minutes left.

"Well, I can't say it'll be unpleasant for me. Maybe I'll get Shinji as well and free Sakura's Servant." said Emilya as she concentrated and a sword shaped light extended from her hand, quickly becoming solid. Soon, one of the strongest weapons she knew, Excalibur, was resting in her hand with its golden hilt and unbreakable blade reflecting the moonlight.

-

Looking at the house before her, Lancer filled the sword with her energy, that caused the blade to glow. She took the weapon with both of her hands, touched the memories that were hidden in sword and called out the Noble Phantasm's name.

"Excalibur!"

A river of golden destruction shot from the sword, when an overhead swing released the stored energy, and tore into the building, reducing it to flaming rubble in seconds.

-

When she heard Sakura's steps, Lancer turned around, her figure framed by the light of the fire behind her, and the Holy Sword disappeared as she spoke.

"This is what will happen to anyone you'll wish to kill. If I can't stop you from killing, I'll destroy anyone you will target, so you won't become a murderer."

Sakura laughed and asked as the shadows whirled around her.

"Anyone? Then hurry and kill Tohsaka Rin next!"

"I can, but…" Lancer interrupted herself as she dodged something that lashed at her from within the nearest patch of shadows and continued in movement.

"But why do you want to kill a girl that loves you? Shiro lost his body, protecting you and Tosaka almost lost her life, trying to prove her love."

"Love?! She never came to save me from the nightmare I live in!" yelled Sakura, wanting to release the feeling she kept bottled up all these years. To make all people who lived their lives oblivious to her suffering, feel the same torment.

Strangely enough, she felt that something was different from all other times she changed. Instead of feeling herself in a middle of an endless sea of darkness, it was as if she was held on a narrow bridge above it, looking at the darkness below, but never touching it.

-

"Yes, Shiro… lost his body as he fought to protect you. Tosaka couldn't hurt the one she loved and left herself open for your attack that almost killed her. How is that not a proof of how much they care about you, Sakura?"

-

Sakura stopped her attempts to catch the elusive woman and asked with some interest, as an idea of how that Servant could know so much, formed in her mind.

"He lost his body? How did it happen?"

"His body was slowly dying after he pushed it far beyond its limits as he fought to protect you. In the end his body was moving on his will and a wish to save you, alone. His sister sacrificed herself to give him the body like the one you see now, only moments before his soul left his body."

-

'His body was changed to the one I see now… That's right, she said only Shiro and Tosaka fought for me, so she has to be sempai.'

"You're Shiro? Then you are a bit too late to be a Savior, Sempai. But we can still be together, if you become as I'm now." Sakura softly laughed as she answered and Lancer jumped away from the place that was covered by a shadow in a second.

"Yes. You can pull everyone who cares for you, through the nightmare you experienced. You can change Shiro to be like you, but then he'll be an obedient doll in your arms, instead of a ray of hope as you always thought of him!"

-

Sakura's attacks stopped once more, when an analogy between the annoying presence that kept her from drowning in the shadow she felt in her soul and Shiro, who helped her to retain her sanity just by being nearby, appeared.

-

'It's like sempai himself is pulling me back.' A slightly shocking thought ran through the girl's mind and the shadows around her started to wither and disappear.

"Tell me everything!"

Hearing this, Emilya softly landed before the girl, glowing with a blue light that felt dim compared to the fires that raged where Mato mansion once stood, and said as she smiled.

"Of course. Where you want me to tell you? Here, or in the apartment nearby that my Master… my sister prepared?"

"Not here." answered Sakura, who couldn't help but notice that Servant was careful not to touch her, as darkness still flowed around along her skin in form of a dress.

-

'I hope we succeeded, Master.' thought Lancer as she and Sakura walked to the apartment.

Ilya, who stayed in relative safety of her castle and used a magic that Einzbern were very proficient in, 'Transfer of consciousnesses', corrected her overconfident Servant.

'Be careful! She agreed only to listen to you, not to spare anyone.'

-

After ten minutes of telling about her past, Lancer was interrupted.

"Wait please." Said the plum-haired girl, blushing heavily, when the Servant got to the part where Sakura started t oshare Shiro's bed and not only to sleep…

Sakura stood up, barely noticing that her shadow dress was almost gone now and left her in the clothes she wore, before she came to the church, and walked to the wall of the small one-room apartment, that was used as a kitchen.

"The food is here, but I can't find anything to cook in."

"What do you need?" asked Lancer, smirking in anticipation of the show she was about to put on for the girl.

"A pot, two dishes, a glass, a set of chopsticks and…" Sakura paused as she took a better look at the older woman, who definitely looked European.

'It'll be better not to ask for a set for her. Maybe she already forgot how to use them.'

"A spoon and a fork."

Lancer's smirk grew and all of asked items started to appear from the thin air beneath her palms with flashes of light.

-

Very soon Sakura became busy with cooking and while she listened to the rest of the story, she managed to immerse herself in illusion that she was standing in Shiro's kitchen and prepared a usual meal for the boy, something she always found some peace in.

'She loves her so much.' thought the plum-haired girl when she heard no blame in Lancer's voice as Emilya started to describe her counterpart deeds.

'Maybe, I should act like the other me in the beginning of her story. I really want to be loved that much.'

-

-

Scratch one Mato Zouken off your list...

Also, due to popular demand, I want to ask if anyone is wishing to proofread this story for me. PM me if you're interested.

Edit: Thanks to Static1218 I found out that a paragraph is missing in the talk between Dark Sakura and Emilya.

Unfortunately, with all these preparation for New Year, I forgot what was in that paragraph ( I wrote it only in the file that I uploaded here in a flash of inspiration ), so I just changed their talk a little to make the discovery of Emilya's true identity feel less straightforward.


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

-

-

Dawn came quietly to Fuyuki city and, as usual, Sakura woke up with the first rays of sunlight. Feeling better then she ever remembered, she spent a few minutes simply enjoying the unusually pain-free rest as she tried to figure out why she couldn't feel a connection to something that always nourished the darkness and hatred at the bottom of her heart.

'Oh, that's right. I'm free from grandfather.' thought the plum-haired girl and slid off the bed in a hurry when she saw the clock.

'Ah, I'm late to cook for sempai! I can't let that woman be with him longer than I can.'

She carefully walked to the door, trying to move without any noise, because she didn't want to disturb Lancer, who slept on the floor nearby.

-

When Sakura was about to exit, a metallic bird that she thought of as a decoration, moved and flapped its wings. It swiftly flew from the table near the window and landed on her shoulder, surprisingly light for its size and material.

"What are you? Are you with Lancer?" asked Sakura, as she moved her hand to touch the bird. It tilted its head and lightly pecked the girl's fingers, obviously not capable of understanding her words.

-

"If you want to come with me, you'll have to move from my shoulder. I'm in a big hurry." said Sakura and when she took the bird off her shoulder, she cradled it in her arms and started to run down the stairs and to the nearest bus stop, with a hope that Shiro would be home.

-

Sakura got of the bus and was ran to Emiya's residence, when a familiar voice stopped her.

"You're alive? I thought that you died with grandfather!" yelled her brother, Shinji, when True Assassin put him down and disappeared. When his initial surprise passed, something clicked in his head and he said with anger.

"Wait, if you are alive, why can't Assassin receive energy from you?!"

"Yes, grandfather Zouken is finally dead. And soon you will die too." answered Sakura with a light laugh that chilled her brother to the bones. He took a step back and pointed at his sister with a shaking hand and said, unable to keep his voice stable.

"It was you? You did it?!" Suddenly, fear in his eyes changed to desperation and he yelled.

"I will tell Shiro about what I was doing with you at nights… no I will tell him what you did this night, unless you obey your older brother and support Assassin!"

To his shock, instead of fear and submission, the girl glared at him.

"No, it wasn't me who killed him. And _I _won't kill you, brother." Sakura's voice changed as she spoke, and the last word literally dripped with hatred and malice, a fact that almost sent Shinji running.

"You don't have a choice! I'll go to tell him right now unless you help me!" shouted the boy and quickly walked to the school, where he intended to meet Shiro.

When Sakura quietly walked after him, he nervously asked, not turning back so he could hide his nervous expression.

"Why are you following me?"

"I don't want to miss your death, brother." answered Sakura in her usual shy and reserved voice, but with dark feelings still in her eyes.

Shinji gulped and thought that it wasn't too late to switch back to his initial plan where Assassin hid them until the night, when his Servant will be able to gather energy by draining humans, but decided that putting his sister back to her place was easier.

'You'll break long before we come to school! Then I'll pay you back for scaring me!'

-

Emilya, woken up by her familiar when it went active, heard the conversation between two Matos through the link to her metallic bird and hurried to the school.

-

'It's a good thing that clock there is broken and the school will be empty at least for another half an hour.' thought Lancer, when she landed at the school gates and saw no one. She hopped on the wall and sat there, as she waited for Shinji and his Servant.

-

Finally she saw Shinji, followed by Sakura, who kept a safe distance from the boy, and no trace of Assassin.

'Not surprised that I can't see him.' mentally sighed Lancer and jumped off the wall.

-

"I thought of sparing you, Shinji, but now I have to keep my promise." said a Western looking young woman when she landed not far away from the boy. When a naginata appeared in her hand, Shinji backed away so fast that he almost fell and as he turned around to run, he yelled.

"Assassin, protect me!"

-

As the boy ran away, Emilya intently looked around, with a hope that Assassin's stealth had a flaw, before she remembered that he could be detected only when he was about to attack and decided to force him out.

'Now, what should I use? I can't use anything that leaves me open, or has a charge time. Ame-no-nuhoko then.' thought the woman and lifted her weapon.

-

With a smirk, Lancer threw her weapon at Shinji's back. As it tore through the air, the naginata left a trail of water drops which sparkled in the morning's sun, like the jewels at the base of the blade.

Immediately after the throw, Emilya's body flashed with blue light and she dashed to the enemy Master. The unexpected change of speed saved her from a barrage of dark colored daggers that were shot from at least three places and she safely ran in and then through a forest of stone pillars that spontaneously shot from ground in her weapon's wake.

With the stone forest as a perfect shelter from possible counterattacks, Lancer was a second away from Shinji, when two Assassins appeared in front of their Master. One stopped the thrown weapon with his body, knocking his Master down as he flew back, while the second managed to deflect the stab by naginata that miraculously appeared in Lancer's hands in spite of the fact that the other dark cloaked Servant still clutched the weapon that pierced his chest.

-

'Is he that low on Mana already? Sakura must've summoned him yesterday and was too tired for him to make any reserves.' thought surprised Lancer, when she noted that Assassin used two copies of him at most and only when it was absolutely needed. When she realized that, she changed her tactic, from attempts to bypass her enemy's defence and reach the boy, to a battle of attrition where she used short swings and stabs that, due to her weapon's nature, still had enough range and power to be deadly and block her targets escape routes.

-

The battle continued for several minutes and even though Shinji got up and started to run, both Servants possessed more than enough speed to fight around him, as if he was standing still.

-

'He's almost dry, but he knows my style now. I have to change it.' thought Emilya as she dodged a combined attack from two copies of Assassin with the image she saw through the bird that Sakura still held in her hands and made a powerful, wider than usual, swing that targeted Shinji.

Suddenly, the enemy Servant split into five figures, three locked her blade with crossed daggers to make her vulnerable and two made an attack that would've hit, if Lancer still held her weapon.

-

When Hassan-as-Sabah, who thought that he was about to win, once again split in two copies and one copy attacked Lancer in melee, covered by a barrage of dirks thrown by the other one, twin falchions appeared in her hands.

With a severe shortage of Mana, Assassin was slow enough for Lancer to trap the incoming dagger between Kanshu and Bakuya and kick her enemy into the projectiles path. Using that opening, she sent her swords flying at the remaining enemy and attacked in melee immediately after.

Assassin managed to deflect the thrown blades, but he was too slow to defend against the second pair that cleaved him in half with a dual horizontal slash.

-

'I hope Ilya won't scold me for using that much energy on my speed enhancement. It would've at least strained any other Master.' thought Emilya, when she returned to neutral stance after her victory.

As she replaced twin swords with her naginata, Lancer saw that Shinji turned to the street where, even before Heaven's Feel started in her past, Shiro and Sakura saw that someone was killed with a spear last night.

'I never thought that I would be the one to do it'

-

'I hope his death will satisfy you, Sakura.' thought Emilya. In a blink of an eye she was behind Shinji and ended his life with lightning fast stab to his heart. Behind her, Sakura quietly turned around and walked away.

-

'You killed him? I thought that I'll have to order you to.' Ilya's surprised voice, suddenly, appeared in her head.

'Ilya? You kept that spell all night? I thought supporting it and supplying me with energy is straining even for you?'

Her Master's voice got a note of disappointment, because of how low Lancer thought about her abilities, when she answered.

'I was supposed to support Heracles as Berserker even before the War started. Anything you can try to drain me with, is nothing compared to that. Now get back here, I don't want to have breakfast without you!'

'Yes, Master.' replied Emilya, smiling as she turned invisible and went to Einzbern's castle, her mission for today completed.

-

Shiro was pulled out of his dream, where he jumped from roof to roof with Tohsaka who looked like a magical girl, when somebody shook him. He saw Tohsaka with his yellow raincoat on. He tried to understand how the girl from his dream appeared here, before he noticed a cat's tail coiled around her waist.

"Caster? What do you want?" asked the boy, and fruitlessly tried to shake off his sleep.

"I'll take a walk until your morning guests leave. Then I'll meet you at your school." said the woman. Her tone made clear that she wasn't asking for permission, but stating how the things will happen.

"If you insist. But I would rather introduce you to others, I don't want you to feel neglected." said the boy and drowsily stood up.

"It'll be better that way. There's no point in introducing me to others. I can exist only during the War, after all." said Caster and walked out, leaving Shiro wondering what she meant by her last words.

-

After Caster was gone, Shiro decided that retuning to sleep was pointless and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his usual morning guests.

Soon the breakfast was prepared and the boy went to the living room, hoping that the TV will help him not to fall asleep while he waited for Taiga and Sakura.

-

When the news started, he was half-asleep despite his efforts to stay awake and wasn't listening to TV, but one line snapped him awake.

"Several hours ago, approximately at midnight, a powerful explosion happened in Shinto ward. There are no commentaries from police yet, so we will ask our colleagues that already arrived there."

'What?!' Shiro increased the volume and concentrated on catching every detail on the screen.

"We are now near the place, where once stood a mansion that belonged to Mato family. As you can see everything is destroyed."

The scene on TV screen changed and now showed a pile of rubble that was surrounded by a lot of people in various uniforms.

"At the first sight it looks like an explosion. But I took a walk around this place and when I saw the shape of the debris trail, I couldn't help but think that it looked like a several big trucks crashed through the house. Of course it's only a guess, because the officials are yet to comment. Also, we don't have any information on possible survivors, but I doubt anyone could've survived that."

"Sakura!" shouted Shiro, shocked beyond words that the girl might've been dead. A vision of Sakura whishing him good night before she left yesterday, appeared in his head and refused to leave.

'I should've asked her to stay. I even wanted to, because she seemed a little faint, but I only asked Fuji-nee to escort her. Idiot!'

'Fuji-nee couldn't be there when that happened. I'll ask her.' Shiro looked at the clock and saw that his guardian was late.

'Where is she? She didn't decide on staying with Sakura until morning, did she?' thought the boy as his worries doubled. Trying to take his mind off the thoughts that Sakura and maybe Fuji-nee were dead now, he focused his attention on TV again, not really understanding what was shown.

'Gas leaks continue to plague the city. Today the number of people found unconscious and weakened on the street because of gas leaks reached over three thousand. Information from unofficial sources say that explosion at Mato's mansion was also caused by gas.

-

"Sempai? Sempai, what happened? Wake up, you make me worry." A melodic voice slowly awakened Shiro's mind that was weakened by a lack of sleep and wasn't able to deal with shocking news in any way other then pushing everything away. He turned to voice, hoping that it wasn't an illusion and saw the plum-haired girl that looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"Sempai? Should I call a doctor?" asked Sakura and walked to the boy. When she put her hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever, she suddenly was hugged.

"What happened?" asked the girl, blushing as she thought that Shiro cared about her much stronger than she expected. Maybe that Servant wasn't wrong about him at all.

"I saw on the news that your home was destroyed and thought that you were dead."

"Ohh, don't worry. I stayed with a friend tonight, so I'm all right" answered the girl, running her hand through Shiro's red hair.

-

"Do you know what happened to your family?"

"I doubt anybody survived, but I'll make it through, because I there's a person as strong as you at my side, isn't right sempai?"

"Ah, right. You can can count on me Sakura." said the boy, blushing from the praise and to remove the awkward pause, he said.

"I already prepared the breakfast. I'll go bring it and you should rest here."

He removed himself from the girl and stood up, thinking that Sakura's appearance also meant that Fuji-nee was all right. He glanced at surprisingly calm girl and blushed again when he recalled her praise, before he exited the room.

-

After the food was reheated, Shiro and Sakura were eating and the boy kept glancing at the clock, as he wondered where Fuji-nee was.

'Oh, well. Shinji was a student at our school and there's no way she won't be busy…'

Before the boy finished this thought, the door abruptly opened and Taiga ran inside, panting.

"I made it. Shiro did you saw the news…" Taiga stopped when she saw the girl that sat near Shiro and nibbled on her food.

"Sakura! You're alive! I'm so happy!"

The older woman ran around the table and hugged the younger one.

"Thank gods you are okay. It must've been them who sent this woman yesterday. "

"What woman, Fuji-nee? And stop holding her that hard, you'll crush her." said Shiro, as he thought that it might've been Caster who saved his friend and that his guardian sometimes didn't her know how to hold back.

Taiga weakened her hold on the girl, who could at least breath now, and turned to Shiro.

"I don't really know how she looked like. It was dark. But I remember that she had white hair. She said that she's one of Kiritsugu's friends and wants to talk with Sakura."

'White hair? And knows my father? I know only one who fits that description. What she wanted from Sakura?' thought Shiro when he remembered Lancer.

'But Sakura is not a Master is she?'

The boy tried to look Sakura's hands, but from his position it was almost impossible and he decided to deal with it later.

'I'll ask Caster.'

-

As Shiro and Sakura walked down the street, they noticed that the street that was blocked by police.

"What happened there?" asked Shiro when he saw an ambulance and a puddle of blood that covered a white outline of human's body, drawn on the street.

"I don't know sempai. It wasn't here when I walked to you." answered Sakura, as he hid a smile brought by memories of how Lancer upheld her promise.

-

When they were close to school gates, Shiro saw a woman on the nearby bench, dressed in red blouse and long black skirt and hid her face under a hat. He separated from Sakura and went to Caster.

"Caster? You are not using that wand?"

The woman briefly lifted her hat, revealing the cat ears under it, and answered.

"As much as I want to, I can't stop using it until you start supplying me with energy, Master. I just bought these clothes and put them over my... other costume."

"You don't have to call me Master. And what are you doing here?"

"Yes, Emiya." said Servant and, sighing, answered his second question.

"I'm here to watch over you and Rin."

"Tohsaka? Why?"

"What do you think will happen, if my past self is killed before she became me?" asked Caster and smiled when she saw Shiro's puzzled look.

"Ohh. I never thought about this."

"It's a good thing that I'm rather happy how my life went… Well, maybe except for the very last part. Or I might've tried to kill Rin, to erase myself from history like certain people I knew. " said future Rin as she stretched leisurely.

At a loss for words, Shiro looked at the school clock and decided to ask the question he wanted before he was late to class.

"Do you know that Sakura's home was destroyed tonight? Fuji-nee says that Lancer met them on their way home, but did it to save Sakura."

"No, but I'm surprised that Lancer let her go. That Servant has the strangest Master." Caster saw the confused expression on her Master's face and started to explain the situation as she saw it so far.

"I saw the Command Seals on Sakura's hand yesterday. She's a Master and I'm not surprised if she lost her house in a fight between Servants. Or she intentionally used her house to make an ambush on enemy that came to kill her, maybe even allied with Lancer's Master to do it."

"Sakura seems like a nice girl, but the power, that Holy Grail will grant to the winner of the War, is great enough to make most people use anything to win."

"No! Sakura is not like that, Caster! She will never use anyone!" eclaimed Shiro, before the school bell interrupted him and he ran to school, leaving his Servant alone and wondering if she was the one with the strangest Master.

-

Rin slowly woke up and was about to get out of the bed, when she remembered yesterday's events. She turned around to the intercom that was right next to her bed and pressed the button that was labeled 'kitchen'. After a click and a few seconds long wait, the maid's voice appeared.

"I'm here, Tohsaka-san."

"Can you serve breakfast now?"

"Yes, right away."

With a click, the device grew silent and Rin rolled back on her pillow, intent on catching a few more moments of morning rest.

'How long has it been since I decided that I need to save money to buy more jewels and keeping servants became an unneeded luxury?'

Rin's eyes traveled to a heart shaped pendant that rested on a small table nearby and she got out of the bed to take it. She lifted it to her eyes and as she watched the light reflect from it, her thoughts returned to the last time she saw her father.

'It's been ten years since my father left me this. Maybe with that Servant I'll succeed where he failed. If he won't drive me insane first.'

-

As Rin was traveling through her memories, the maid brought the breakfast along with a fresh set of clothes.

"What was he doing while I slept?" asked the girl when she dressed and started her morning meal.

"No further changes to the house were made, Tohsaka-san." answered the maid before she bowed and walked out.

-

"I hope that whatever you are drinking now won't affect you in battle." said Rin, when she opened the door to her Servant's room and saw that he drank something from a golden cup.

King of Heroes looked at his Master and put his cup on the table. Then a ceramic bottle and an exact copy of his cup fell from the thin air and landed on his hands.

"A truly good wine does only good for body and soul. Here, see for yourself." said Gilgamesh when he filled the cup and threw it to her.

To her surprise, not a drop of the drink left the cup,as it flew through the air, or when the Rin discovered that the cup was unexpectedly heavy and her hands pianfully slammed into her chest when she caught it.

Tohsaka looked from the liquid that filled the cup to the brim, to the smirking Servant and thought.

'I'll taste it. I don't think that he tries to poison me.'

Holding the cup with both hands, she took a sip from it. And as soon as she tasted it, she lifted the cup and started to drink as fast as she could, ignoring that even the rich flavour couldn't hide the wine's strength.

-

When the last drop of that delicious drink was gone, she put the cup down, all of her pains gone and her body filled with enough energy to make the heavy golden cup feel as light as a feather. She was a tipsy as well, but that was a really minor detail to her now.

"Th-this was good. Listen, I'm going to school now and I came to tell you to come along." Sparing no time to wait for response, she turned around and walked to exit.

"Tell me, eh? She began to amuse me." smirked the Servant as he stood up, righted his black and white outfit he bought yesterday and walked out after his Master.

-

As Tosaka and her Servant walked towards the school, she was busy looking over the cup she still held in her hand.

It seemed to consist from two layers. The inner one was brighter and its surface sparkled, as Rin understood, because of a spell that held the wine inside the cup. The outer layer, judging by the sound she heard when she tapped it, was hollow and the placement of jewels and ornaments on its surface made holding the cup very easy even with Rin's smaller hand.

-

When Rin finally moved her eyes away from the cup, she saw that they were already walking across the school yard.

"Here, hide it and go to your spirit form yourself." said Tosaka, as she gave the item, that ate so much of her time, back to her Servant.

"Why would I want to become invisible? I intend to go to school with you. I wish to see more about how common people live." said Gilgamesh and threw the cup away. Its flew for a about a second before it dissapeared in mid-air.

"But…!" Amidst a hundred of reasons why her Servant wasn't supposed to accompany her to class, she tried to find the best one that would save her from too much arguing.

"You're an adult, so you can't go."

Suddenly Tosaka's inspiration spiked and she added.

"Also I study in all-girls wing, so…."

Gilgamesh smirked when he heard her reasons and a crystal vial fell into his hand. It was an incredibly rare potion that only a handful of people could create even in his time.

He tore away the seal on top of the vial and drank it.

"What…?" For a moment Rin thought that the wine she had earlier was playing with her mind, but the vision of her Servant becoming shorter and even… younger after he drank that potion wasn't going away.

Now, instead of an adult she saw only a minute ago, a boy of her age, dressed in clothes that were too big for him, stood before her. When she saw his arrogant smirk, she understood that her Servant became younger right before her eyes.

"Is that all?"

'It's a good thing he knows that I lied about 'all-girls wing'. Who knows what he would've done to himself.'

Tosaka shook her head and sighed as she resumed walking.

"I'll show you where my classroom is."

-

'Or he didn't know that it was a lie?!'

That shocking thought caught up with Tosaka when they already entered the building and she whirled around, in a hurry to prove this thought wrong. The more she looked at him, scanning every detail she could, the clearer she saw that this thought was right. Lines of Saber's face now looked gentler and while the big clothing hid Gilgamesh's body, somehow she didn't doubt how it looked now.

'This is an illusion. It must be!' thought Rin, as a shiver ran along her spine, so cold that it left her skin almost frostbitten.

"This is an illusion right?"

Gilgamesh looked at Tohsaka, causing the brunette to think that Saber's earrings, made from solid gold, looked better on her Servant now, and his answer broke all doubts about Servant's current gender because his… her voice sounded melodic. Not flute-like melodic, but rather a battle song kind of melodic.

"No, I used one of my shape changing potions. I already told you Master, nothing can stop me from attaining what I want."

"You…" Tosaka tried to express what she thought about her Servant now, but failed, because her mind was blank on this matter. She waited a second and tried again with same success, before she pinched the bridge of her nose and decided not to think about it anymore if she cared about her sanity.

"Give me more of that wine, Servant. I have another headache to cure."

-

They entered the classroom several minutes after the bell and everyone turned to look at them. When Tohsaka's classmates saw someone with her, several people immediately started to whisper.

Mentally groaning because she could guess what they were whispering about, especially those that thought that Saber was a boy now, Rin put her bag on her table and went to the teacher to explain the guest.

Gilgamesh, ignored others who either tried to ask her if she knew Rin or intently watched her and sat near Rin's place.

-

About a half-hour later, Gilgamesh became bored, not finding anyone worth spending his time on, at least as worthy as his Master, and decided to leave. He stood up and walked out of the class room, leaving a pile of notes he received from other people, untouched.

'Now where is he… she, whatever! going?' thought Rin, but decided not to follow Saber. She could use her Command Seals if needed and the annoying attention she received from her classmates would double if she did so. A doubt that she could take another dose of that healing wine, something she would need if she went with Saber, and keep control over her actions, also played a major role in her decision.

-

Saber walked through the city, looking how people lived and comparing them to people from his own time. So far the comparison wasn't in favour of modern age people.

-

Bored, he decided to change the environment and walked into a small restaurant. He sat at one of the tables that let him watch everything and pulled a bottle of his favorite wine out of his treasury.

-

Soon, a tall man dressed in priest's outfit entered and he, or rather his precise and fluid movements that were so different from the other people, attracted Saber's attention.

"Hey, priest. Sit here, I wish to talk."

Kotomine lightly smiled and walked to Saber. He couldn't recognise the King of Heroes at first, because of his changed appearance, but he was more than willing to overlook any behavior because he walked all the way here to meet the Servant and, if possible, talk him into changing Masters.

-

The day passed quietly. After school Tosaka immediately went to bed, while Saber chatted with priest until the night. Shiro went to his many part jobs, before retuning home a bit earlier than usual.

-

When Shiro entered his house, he felt the smell of prepared food.

'Sakura must be early today.' he thought as he walked into the living room and saw both plum-haired girl and Taiga.

"Guess what Shiro. Since Sakura doesn't have where to live, I thought that she can live with you."

The girl slightly blushed as she said.

"If sempai agrees, I would love to live here. I promise I won't be a burden."

Shiro, surprised at the turn of events, was silent for a few moments before he answered.

"I agree. I'll do my best to help you Sakura."

"I never doubted you would, Shiro." said Taiga and before she returned to wolfing down her meal, she waved towards the kitchen and said.

"Now go get yourself a plate and eat with us. I still need to talk with you about your earlier guest."

With a sigh, Shiro obeyed.

-

Later, when he was about to fall asleep, he heard Caster's voice and walked out of his room to meet her. Caster was dressed in an outfit she got after using Kaleidostick and said when she saw him.

"Come on Hero of Justice! The city needs your help now!"

"What? Caster, are you all right?"

"Of course I am. Kaleido Ruby is invincible!"

With these words, Caster jumped to Shiro and when their hands connected, Shiro felt himself slipping away.

-

-

It was a bad week for Shinji...

Oh yeah. Gilgamesh-ko makes an appearance.


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

-

Shiro opened his eyes and saw that he was in his bed and sun bathed the room in the morning light.

He stood up and looked around, but couldn't see Caster anywhere.

'What happened yesterday?' he thought, scratching his head as he tried to remember how he returned to his bed.

'I can't remember anything after Caster touched me. Why was she saying all those things, anyway?'

-

Shiro walked into the kitchen and found Sakura who almost finished preparing the breakfast.

"Good morning. How was your sleep?"

"Good morning Sakura. I remember walking out in the yard, but I don't remember returning."

The girl suddenly turned to him and said in a voice that hinted at her real feelings only by having an edge in it.

"I don't really trust that woman, sempai. Maybe you can't remember how you retuned, because she put a spell on you. Who knows what she was doing to you in that time!"

'A spell! That's right, Caster said that Servants must fight in this War, not Masters, so she puts me to sleep while she fights alone. Damn it, I might be too weak to help, but it doesn't matter if you are strong, Caster! A girl shouldn't fight, especially alone, and I will not let you!'

-

"Sempai, are you all right?" asked Sakura when she saw the redheaded boy's expression first brighten and then a feeling, as close to anger as she ever saw on his face, appeared.

'I hope it's not because that woman is already captured his heart.'

-

"What? Oh, yes. I'm fine, don't worry. Let me help you carry all this." said Shiro, a little quicker than usual, when he saw a fear in Sakura's eyes and misunderstanding it, sought to calm her.

-

Meanwhile, in Tosaka mansion a loud groan was heard. It came from the bed of the head of the household, Tosaka Rin.

'I'll never drink so much of it again!' thought Rin, trying to block her headache away from her thoughts. The wine she drank yesterday was one of the best she ever tasted and it did heal all of injuries she had at the moment, but it still produced a bit of hangover. And even that bit was too much for the young girl's endurance.

-

"I'm so going to choke him for this." whispered Rin as she thanked the maid who brought her painkillers with a careful nod.

-

A half an hour later, Rin felt her head ache subside and dressed before she went to Saber's room.

When she quietly opened the door and walked in, she saw her Servant lying on the bed, still dressed in white shirt, black pants and a short black jacket that were too big for… her.

'Definitely her.' sighed Rin when Saber turned on her back, revealing, obviously, a female chest.

-

"Wake up."

"Wake up! Ouch…" Tosaka tried to yell, but overestimated her condition and felt her headache return for a moment.

Deciding not to risk anymore, she walked to Saber and grabbing her collar, shook her as rough as she could manage without awakening her headache. She had to shake for a minute before her Servant opened her eyes and asked.

"What do you want, Master? More wine perhaps?"

"This is not funny, Saber. My head hurts enough to think of skipping school today."

-

'Weaklings. Everyone is a weakling in this era.' thought Gilgamesh, remembering the talk she had yesterday with that priest, who sought to 'improve' humanity with Holy Grail.

She could understand his goals and, frankly, found them somewhat amusing, but she wasn't going to break the contract with Rin like some mercenary would. If that priest wanted her help, he would have to resolve that problem himself.

-

"For how long you will remain like this?

Rin's question interrupted her line of thought and Saber answered, not bothering to turn to her Master as she answered.

"I can turn back whenever I want, but I don't see I should do it now. Having a smaller body won't affect my power."

"And it will surprise those who could see you before." said Rin, thinking that she continued her Servant's thought. The idea had it merits and thinking about Saber's new look as a disguise helped her to distance from a thought that something like this could happen to her as well.

"Then you change your clothes and wait here until the night." said Rin and walked back to her room, hoping that the breakfast was still hot.

-

When the door closed behind Tosaka, Saber sat on her bed and once again wine and a golden cup fell into her hands. She would stay, but only because she didn't have a purpose to go outside today.

The closest feeling to what she now felt was apathy.

Once she bore the weight of entire world on her shoulders as a king and hero and when one owns everything in the world, there's not much, if anything, left to wish for.

That feeling was the main reason why she leisurely sat on her bed, drinking wine while her mind wandered.

-

Far away, in a castle that stood in the forest outside of the city, Lancer and her Master were peacefully enjoying their breakfast.

"I'm bored. Its already fifth day and we killed only one Servant and Master." said Ilya, pouting when she finished her meal.

"Maybe with Heracles I would've already won the War."

"Maybe, but then you would've met your little sister only under much worse conditions. And I did kill him in my own time, so I can kill whoever we find from Servants." answered Emilya as she smiled when she saw in Ilya's eyes that her first reason had more impact then the second one. Nevertheless, the young girl wasn't going to admit it easily and answered, hiding what thought about under harsh words.

"But you ran from Saber. I know they are supposed to be the strongest, but you ran even without a fight!"

Lancer sighed and lifted a cup of tea that was just brought to them by Leysritt, thanking the maid with a nod as she took a sip from it.

"This Saber is different. Instead of trying to attacking in melee, he shot a sword that appeared from the thin air and if he is capable of firing multiple weapons, I'll have to use the best I have to surpass it. And your safety is more important to me."

"Then we'll leave him until the end. I wish other Servants would get found faster, I want to kill them already."

-

It was almost noon when in one of the abandoned wooden buildings, almost on edge of the city, a redheaded woman, that chose this place as a hiding spot during the War, started to wake up.

Bazette opened her eyes, quickly scanning the surroundings for any danger and not finding any, she looked to where Berserker sat before she got out of the bed.

As she dressed, she couldn't help but shiver, not from the morning freshness, but from Berserker's attention. It always was centered on her, but seemed to grow tenfold in intensity making her uneasy.

'I hope that's not because he thinks of me as vulnerable and easy to kill now.' thought Bazette. Berserker was both a fierce fighter and womanizer in his life, but she remembered the words that Kotomine Kirei told her after the summoning too clearly to think that he had any interest in her body.

-

'I entered this event to reach Holy Grail and change the life you had, Cuchulainn. I will allow no interference from Mad enhancement because I will show no weakness to you. ' thought Bazette as she finally buttoned her jacket and, as usual, Berserker's glare turned away.

Looking on the clock, the redheaded woman went to make a breakfast before planning their tonight's route.

-

After school, Shiro decided to find Caster instead of going to his part time jobs.

-

"Hey, Shiro, wait." said Ayako Mitsuzuri, captain of the Archery dojo at school, as she rushed to the redheaded boy who stopped to look at her.

"Aren't you going to come to the practice as you promised in the morning? I'm sure everyone at the dojo will be glad to see your skills."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll visit the dojo tomorrow." answered Shiro. He regretted that he had to break promise, but wanted to talk with Caster as soon as possible.

"Oh. Is it because of Sakura? I heard that her house is wrecked."

"That too. I'll see you tomorrow, Ayako." said the boy and walked away, trying to concentrate on a link to Caster he was supposed to have as a Master.

-

'She's at home?' thought Shiro when he made another turn and saw that the link led him to his house.

He quickly closed the remaining distance, greeting Sakura as he passed by and stopped at the door to his room.

Inside he saw Caster who looked at the Kaleidostick and asked.

"Caster, what are we going to do tonight?"

"Same thing we do every night, Emiya. Try to take over the world!" said Caster before she caught herself and, tearing herself from under the wand's influence, threw the Kaleidostick into the wall. After she spent several seconds trying to incinerate the abysmal thing with a glare, she turned her attention to her Master.

"Tosaka? Are you all right?" asked the boy, literally feeling Caster's glare before it lessened and the woman sighed.

"Same thing we do every night. Scout the city and try to find that Servant so we could kill her. This time we'll find her for sure."

'Same thing we do every night? But…'

"But I don't remember anything from the nights! I thought that you put me to sleep with a spell before you went to fight by yourself?"

"Why would I do that Master?" asked Caster, surprised at his thoughts. But if Kaleidostick wasn't summoned, she might've done just that to prevent him from losing his life in an attempt to rescue her. Because instead of doing a smart thing and staying in a safe place to recall her with a Command Seal if needed, he would've surely chose to remain close to her.

"But why then? I've never had any memory problems." said Shiro, confused and feeling slightly guilty that he accused Caster of something she never did.

-

Caster's eyes received the same guilty expression when she thought that she never told him about Kaleidostick in more detail than 'this wand will help me survive.' and assumed that if she remembered everything then Shiro did too.

'Better late than never.' she thought and said, hoping to interrupt Shiro's thoughts before he blamed someone else for his memory troubles.

"You should sit somewhere, Shiro. I want to tell you more about me."

-

When Shiro sat on the bed near Caster, she motioned towards the Kaleidostick and started to talk.

"This wand isn't just a battery; it's a copy of a powerful artifact created by the strongest user of the Second Magic, Zelretch. I use it to gather energy from other dimensions that makes it a potentially a bottomless source, but the amount of energy the wand can transfer is limited."

Caster paused and looked at her Master, before asking.

"Do you understand so far?"

Shiro scratched his nose, hiding his confusion and said.

"I don't know what the Second Magic is because my father only taught me reinforcement, but I can understand the rest, I think"

"You were never taught even such basics? Your father must've wanted to prevent you from becoming a mage if the only thing he taught you was something as useless as reinforcement magic." said red and black clad woman as she thought that it was ironic for such amateur to summon a Caster class Servant.

"Anyway, try to understand what I'll say now. I try to explain it as simple as possible."

"This wand is sentient, a fact that I deeply regret, and its primary use, besides traveling through dimensions, is to search for alternate versions of its wielder that possess wanted knowledge and imprint that knowledge on its wielder. This way the one who wields the Kaleidostick will have all of the skills he needs to solve almost any problem."

"But there's a problem. This thing hates me and everyone around me, so it's frequently forces me to become one of my alternate versions, magical girl Kaleido Ruby, modifying my personality while I'm changed. And that exactly what happens to you in the night, Shiro."

Caster blinked in surprise when she saw that the boy froze, his face lost its color and he slid off the bed to the floor.

"Shiro? What happened?"

-

As Shiro lay on the floor he tried to burn away the image of himself as a cat-like magical girl out of his mind, but horribly, horribly failed to do so.

'I've been running around the city for three nights like this!?' thought the boy and his cheek started to twitch when a 'calming' thought that he, most likely, was changed into a girl ,because who ever heard of a cross dressing magical girls?

Thankfully, this experience was somewhat interrupted when, after he was lifted and put on the bed, his cheek burned from a strong slap. Almost immediately, Caster began to shake him.

"Snap out of it, Shiro. Don't make me use Kaleidostick to find out what happened to you! Please!"

Gathering his will, the redheaded boy pushed the image of his female self, who waved her red furred tail at him, away and said.

"Do I really turn into a magical girl?"

"What?"

Caster stopped shaking him and stepped away, astonished. After a short silence, she managed to say "You thought that…" before a loud laughter made her unable to continue.

"Caster?"

-

It took several minutes for Tosaka's laughter to lessen and she told Shiro with tears in her eyes.

"No, I meant that you become your alternate version, like me. You change into a 'Hero of Justice', a handsome man in a white armored tux…"

Whatever Caster wanted to add was lost when she heard a knock on the door and Sakura's voice said.

"Sempai, can you help me in the kitchen?"

Shiro looked at Caster, who waved him to go, and answered.

"Yes, I'll be right there."

-

In the kitchen, Shiro was busy with dishes, while Sakura worked at the stove. The boy worked as fast as usual, but his mind was occupied with Caster's words.

'So, I managed to become a hero in one of the dimensions, it's possible after all. I can't wait to see what skills I need.'

An image of cat-girl variant of himself appeared before him and the boy lost his balance for a second, enough for one of the dishes to slip out of his fingers and fall on the floor.

"Ah. I'm sorry Sakura. I just have a lot on my mind." These words accompanied sound of a dish breaking apart, but the plum-haired girl only smiled.

"It's okay sempai, I'll clean it."

"No, I'll do it." said Shiro and, as he gathered the pieces, he asked.

"Sakura, did you see me leave at night?"

"Yes, but I'm not worried. She is a Servant, so it's okay if you leave with her."

-

Several hours later, after the evening meal has ended, Caster and her Master stood in the yard.

"As I said after the dinner, I found the Servant responsible for draining people and now I know where she'll be attacking next."

"Don't worry about blacking out. Kaleidostick won't change our personality this time. It might be an infernal device, but as a tool it knows when it's time to be useful."

Caster saw her Master nod and lifted Kaleidostick. After a rainbow colored flash, Shiro's clothing changed.

Looking down, Shiro saw that his new outfit looked and felt more like armor than cloth, but before he could study it any longer, Caster took his hand and jumped into the air.

-

'I really have the skills of my other self.' thought Shiro, strongly surprised when he was able to keep up with Caster that jumped from the roof to roof.

-

After ten minutes of high-speed movement, Caster landed on the street that was empty, except for two people: a drunken young man and a young woman that held a… shield, arched on both sides, on her hand.

"That's her. Can you make sure that she doesn't escape?" asked Caster.

"I'll try." answered Shiro and an unexpected thought appeared in his mind.

'Trace on.'

That thought was accompanied by a twin flash of light and seconds later, two silver colored swords rested in his hands.

"I wanted to ask, Master. How do you make those?" asked Caster, turning around to the boy and distracted Shiro from looking at his swords in surprise.

"Reinforcement can only strengthen things, right? Because I say 'Trace on' when I start using my magic and that what I thought when these appeared."

Caster puzzled over his words for several seconds before she remembered why they came to this place and said.

"We'll deal with it later. Now block her escape before she drains… oh, too late for that. Just stop her!" said Caster when she turned back to their target and saw the unknown Servant walk away from the young man that lay on the ground, barely moving.

The white clad boy nodded and threw his swords, immediately followed by the second, third and forth pairs. The weapons embedded themselves in a circle around the shield wearing Servant. Scared, she tried to pull one of them out, but yanked her hand back with a pained yelp when the sword's handle sprouted thorns that deeply bit into her palm.

"Now it's time to make justice known!" shouted Caster and a sword with a crystal blade appeared in her hands, joining the Kaleidostick.

"About time you used me for something more than food, you ingrate." growled the wand as it flew out of Tosaka's hand and Kaleido Ruby threw the crystal sword in the air.

"Form setup!"

Kaleidostick transformed around the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch, its new form resembling a energy cannon with the crystal blade as its core.

Finishing the transformation, two long white feathery wings appeared on top and down sides of a long handle behind the weapon and the entire contraption softly fell into Caster's outstretched hands.

-

Shiro, who was at Caster's side, felt a doubt trying to eat him from within as he looked at Tosaka's target that cowered on the street behind her shield, but held still.

Kaleido Ruby pointed her weapon at her enemy and a sphere of glittering energy gathered before the weapon's barrel.

"Target acquired."

"Leave me alone. I never wanted to do this. I don't want to die."

When he heard the girl start to whimper, the redheaded hero felt that his resolve crumbled and turned to Caster.

"Stop! Don't kill her!"

When he shouted these words, one of the marks on his hand flared with crimson light and disappeared, causing Caster to aim in the sky, moments before her weapon released an enormous impulse of destruction.

"You stupid Shiro! Now we'll have to run, because every Master will try to get here as fast as possible! What got into you head this time?"

"I can't kill her Tosaka. Look at her, she doesn't even try to fight or run." said Shiro as he flinched from intensity of Caster's words.

"You are too soft, Emiya." sighed Caster as she looked at the other Servant, who still hid behind her shield and her shoulders seemed to shake.

"If I can't kill her, what are we supposed to do with her? She's a Servant of another Master and if we let her live, then they will try to kill us."

"I don't have a Master."

"What?"

"My life is the only thing I have left besides memories of being alone for ten years and my nightmares. Please don't take it away."

"You are a Servant from the previous War? How is it possible?"

"Caster, can we…"

"Help her? For now I think we should get out of here." said Caster as she lowered her weapon and said.

"Hey, show us where you live."

"Maybe it'll be better to ask her at our home?"

"She's still an enemy, Master. Now, let's go.

Hearing these words, the shield wearing Servant stood up and started to walk away, glancing back to make sure that the white clad boy and his Servant were still following.

-

After half an hour of walk they reached a small house that looked like it could collapse any day. Probably it one of the house that survived the disaster that burnt away almost a half of Fuyuki city ten years ago and was demolished and rebuilt due to being on the city outskirts.

"It's so dark…" said Shiro when they entered inside and even moonlight was cut off.

"Yes, olive oil is not as easy to find in this world." sighed someone and several seconds later, the room was lighted first by a match and then by the bright fire from a unusual shaped ceramic lamp.

"Olive oil? But don't you have electricity here?"

"What are you talking about, Emiya? She has no idea how to repair it herself and since she never had any documents or legal history, she has to stay away from others."

-

As the Servant, who still held on her shield, lit more lamps, Shiro could finally see her and the room in detail.

She was somewhere in her twenties, bright grey eyes and straight black hair that reached her shoulders. A simple long red shirt under a light brown leather one and trousers made from the same material as her outer shirt covered her light complexion.

All furniture in the room consisted from a table in the center that held the lamps and several chairs around it.

-

"I can't say I understand this world yet, so I use the few things I remember from my time." said the grey-eyed woman when she sat at the table. Shiro wanted to sit as well, but Caster stopped him.

"So, what is your story? You say that you live here from the previous, but it's impossible for a Servant to exist without a Master."

"Memories from my own life are more like dreams to me. Even though I know that it was me who snuck into the sacrarium of Mars in the heart of Rome to steal Ancile when the city was about to fall and it was me who tried to deliver it to the Eastern half of the Empire, I don't feel myself a part of them."

Caster moved as if she wanted to ask something, but she noticed that the story was no yet finished and remained silent.

The grey-eyed woman took her shield, called Ancile as Tosaka understood, and hugged it strongly before continuing.

"The memories of what happened ten years ago feel alive, but there are only a handful of them.

"I remember being summoned as Archer by a man named Ryūnosuke Uryū and I killed that monster soon after. Even his spell sigil didn't help him."

A smile touched Archer's lips as she said the last words, but it wasn't the only change as a dark cloud seemed to appear in her eyes, painting them black.

"Then I found a man that was born in my homeland and fought for him. My last memory is fighting with a blonde warrior before tainted from the Cup of Gods robbed me of myself."

"I don't know when I woke up, but I wish I didn't, because I couldn't control myself as I ran through remains of a burning city and devoured the life of everyone I could find."

Archer's form started to shake and, suddenly, her clothing started to change color, becoming blood-red with black parts. The Servant seemed to be unaware of the change and continued her story.

"Soon my body started to move on my will alone, but I killed so many, even children. And what's worse, as darkness left me, it took my memories with it. No… what's worse is that it let me exist, so I would its return every time I'm forced to take energy to keep myself alive."

As she spoke, the blackening finished converting her clothing and change Archer's voice, a fact that wasn't unnoticed by the Servant. She, in slight panic, pressed the shield closer to her chest and Ancile lit with white light. The glow washed over Archer and reversed the changes made to once more grey-eyed Servant.

"That's… very interesting." said Caster, more then surprised at the Servant's story, and doubly so, when she understood what exactly was Cup of Gods.

"You enough to earn yourself a life, but you'll have to come with us."

Archer nodded and started to rise, when Shiro asked.

"Ah, excuse me, but can you tell me your name? Only if you want to tell, of course."

"If I want..." Archer paused when she heard this and was silent for several seconds, before answering.

"I don't remember my name. If you need a name, you call me Archer Ancile like my second Master or Yumizuka Satsuke. She was the first one I drained willingly."

-

Caster's prediction that her attack will be seen proved true when two of the Masters turned their attention to the place the beam was shot from.

-

Bazette pulled her gloves out of her pocket and she put them on, she said.

"We are going to fight and our target is enemy magi and Servants. You will not attack anyone else on purpose, is that clear?"

When the Servant heard the words that were so close to his own beliefs, a smirk broke the enraged expression on Berserker's face and a growling sound, which with some imagination could be interpreted as laugh, came from his throat.

"It's clear, Master."

-

"Finally an opportunity." said a middle aged man as he looked in the window, calculating where the white beam, he just noticed, was shot from. When he finished, he walked to the table in the center of the room and unrolling a detailed map of the city that lay there, he began looking for good ambush spots near to the place where Servants fought.

"Right. This place is quite convenient."

Finding what he wanted, he moved the map aside and leaned to pick up the long grey boxes from under table. He had no problems lifting two of them on the table even having only one hand, but the last one was to unwieldy.

-

Finally he gave up and wiping the sweat off his eyebrow, he said.

"Rider, appear and put this box on the table."

Air behind him shimmered and a giant man, two or three times bigger than his Master, phased into visibility.

His face features and his skin, darkened by sun, revealed that he was, most likely, of Middle East origin. A full tiger skin covered his back, its paws used to held the cloak in place and his head was protected by helm that had a demonic-looking skull on it.

When Rider stepped towards the table, the floor whined under his weight. He easily lifted the box and carefully set it on the table.

"Thank you, Rostam." said the mage as he opened the boxes and began to take out their contents, attaching them together.

Soon, a completed sniper rifle rested in his hands and he hefted it on his back, before turning to his Servant.

"Now let's go. Our target is enemies that will come to investigate that beam. First you attack them and if your normal attacks fail, I try to kill the Master. If I fail as well, go all out."

-

A\N: Heh, a new chapter! Also, say 'Hi' to Sacchin.


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

-

Another ten days passed and another chapter appeared.

-

-

When the giant Servant and his Master reached the spot that was picked on the map the man with a sniper rifle on his back, separated from his Servant and walked to the ladder.

-

Rider's Master finally reached the roof and looked around, he nodded approvingly when he saw that the building was high enough to observe the surrounding area, but not too high to block what was below it. He removed the rifle from his back and put it near him instead of holding it ready because he didn't know what direction he should aim in and his only arm would grow tired fast.

As he looked around, trying to see something without his rifle's night scope, he thought of ordering Rider to summon his legendary guardian, the all knowing Simurgh, for the advice on their upcoming fight, but he didn't his Servant to loosen his guard even for something as simple as burning a golden feather.

'Should I order him to summon Simurgh? Maybe that, supposedly, all-knowing bird can tell us, who we'll fight?' thought Rider's Master, as he waited for an enemy to appear.

'And burning a single feather won't distract him enough to lose his guard.'

He debated over this for a minute, before he decided that the light show that will accompany the summoning of the golden feathered messenger between Heaven and Earth will alert the ones the wanted to ambush.

After all, his Servant was one of the strongest Persian heroes, whose extraordinary strength and power came from the demonic blood that his mother, Rudabeh's, inherited from her father, a distant descendant of demon king Zahhak.

And this power that was strengthened to almost godlike level by seven trials he passed to kill the White Demon and free the king of his country and more than five hundred years of slaying countless enemies while serving as the pre-empting champion of Persian monarchs.

'That's right. Even with a weakling mage like me, there's no way he will lose to anyone.' thought the mage, rubbing what remained from his left hand with his healthy one.

-

"They're here, Master."

Rider's sudden voice sent adrenaline through the mage's body and he grabbed the rifle, scanning the direction his Servant faced.

Through his scope he saw two people quickly walking towards Rider and aimed at the smaller one, almost sure that it was enemy Master. Carefully maintaining his aim, he threw all worries and doubts out of his head, because he had no time for them.

Rider waited until new opponent saw him and a heavy scimitar appeared in his hand, before he pointed its end at his enemy that wore blue leather armor and enraged expression on his face.

"Your path ends here. Draw your weapon or be killed."

"Heh." Berserker smirked at the sight of an enemy and a crimson spear appeared in his hand.

"Kill him." said Bazette as she entered a defensive stance. For a second she wanted to add 'And survive.', but only for a second. She was sure that Berserker was capable of defeating this Servant in a normal combat. And if he used his Noble Phantasm, Fragarach would deal with it.

-

A feral grin replaced the Berserker's smirk when he charged towards his enemy and spear met sword with impressive force.

-

Rider, remembering his Master's plan, began the fight defensively, making the luring of Berserker away from his redheaded Master look like he was getting pushed back.

When, as Rider thought, Berserker was too far to protect his Master from a bullet, he stopped retreating and began fighting to kill.

Berserker replaced his defense with a flurry of strikes that were delivered with great speed and power and Rider met his attacks with equal strength and where he lacked speed, he compensated with swordsmanship skill.

-

Showers of sparks flew as Rider's scimitar deflected the stab aimed at his heart, immediately twisted to intercept spear that was about to strike his legs and shot up to block a combination that sought to break through to his head.

After a minute of fighting, Rider thought that he learned enough of Berserker's fighting style to predict what his attacks will be and lower his defense in favor of landing a hit that could end that battle.

Instead of parrying the next attack, his sword flew to Berserker's head and he slightly shifted his position to lessen the damage if the spear will pierce Babr-e Bayan, his weapon resistant tiger skin.

Berserker deflected the heavy sword that tore through the air to his head with his bare hand, not even wincing when bashing the blade aside mangled his hand and weapon in his other hand found its target.

The tip of the crimson spear struck Rider in his chest, not far away from the heart, and at first moment it seemed to be held back, before it pushed through.

-

These attacks even though they looked grave, did little to faze the combatants and their weapons met each other again with same ferocity as before.

-

'This is going nowhere.' thought Rider's Master as he looked with his free eye at the street filled with sonic booms from Servant's weapons striking and meeting at supersonic speeds.

'I wonder why that woman is so focused on the battle. Does she hope to interfere if her Servant loses?'

That thought amused him for a while, before he decided that whatever was the reason of enemy Master's behaviour, it offered him a clear shot and he threw unneeded thought aside as he concentrated on his target.

-

The mage paused his breathing, becoming absolutely still and gently pulled the trigger twice aiming for the heart, then he pressed it again, aiming for the head in case the woman wore a bullet proof vest.

-

As the Servants fought, Berserker suddenly looked away and jumped back to his Master, covering the distance in less than a second. His spear spun in a circle and three bullets ricocheted off it into a nearby wall.

-

'A sniper?' thought Bazette, looking at the three marks that bullets left on the concrete wall. She trailed one of Berserker's glances he kept throwing at one of the buildings on the nearby street and moved closer to the wall, scolding herself because she remained in the open for so long.

But even when she reached safety, her Servant wasn't in a hurry to rejoin the fight. Instead he lowered the tip of his spear to the ground and tendrils of white smoke rose from the weapon as power was fed into it.

'He's going to use Gae Bolg?'

When Bazette saw why Berserker remained at her side, she aborted the search for more snipers and looked at Rider.

-

Rostam banished his sword and put his hands in a praying gesture, light filling his figure from inside. When the light overflowed and spilled out, lighting everything around him, Rider called out the name of his legendary stallion that accompanied his from childhood to death.

"Rakhsh."

Almost as soon as Rider's voice stopped, a shockwave of displaced air ran along the street and a powerful looking white stallion appeared in its epicenter.

Rostam looked at his friend and petted him caringly, before he sat on Rakhsh's back and as the sword reappeared in his hand and was once again pointed at Berserker, he said.

"My heart rejoices as I clash blades with a warrior as fierce as a div, but I have an oaf to fulfill and no man, beast or div won't stay in my way! You would've understood me, if battle frenzy weren't clouding your mind, because I seek to bring my son, who died by my hand, back to this world."

-

Bazette initially planned to let Berserker to kill his opponent, because she had only three charges of Fragarach left and they were supposed to defeat five more enemies. But as she watched her Servant put more and more energy into his weapon, her plans started to change, because that energy drain, as she knew out of knowledge of her abilities, could threaten to weaken her hold on consciousness.

'Berserker, why are you doing this? Is he that dangerous?'

"Servant, step away. I deal with him myself."

'Or are you trying to get rid of me that way? I will not allow you to!' thought the redheaded mage when to her surprise when he ignored her. Instead the amount of Mana he drained out of Bazette increased and she even caught the first hint of fatigue that much earlier than she could've expected. She tightened her fist that held three spell runes, that started to glow with a crimson light and one seemed to burn out when the mage said in a command voice.

"Berserker, stop your attack and step away. I will kill him now."

-

"Yes, Master." answered Berserker in a growl and as he stepped aside, he glared at his Master, causing her to shiver for a second.

She stepped towards Rider, who started his charge, and brought forth power that she inherited through her family's bloodline. That power was creation and use of Fragarach, an ultimate counterattack that could be used only against enemy's strongest ability.

She lifted her hand and a sphere appeared above her fist, floating there for a moment before Bazette called out its name.

"Fragarach!" (The Sword of the Gorging War God)

The sphere changed its appearance and ring appeared in front of it along with a blade from its center, before it followed thrusting motion of Bazette's hand and flew towards charging Rider.

-

Fragarach that looked like a ray of light, pierced the stallion's neck, slowing him to a stop, and went right through Rider's heart, barely noticing his tiger skin.

Rostam, with a great deal of surprise etched on his face, sat on his horse for several seconds before he turned from his wound to his enemies.

"You would've understood my goal Berserker, if fury of battle hasn't clouded your mind. Because I seek to bring my son, who died by my hand, back to this world."

When he finished, both his and Rakhsh's body started to disappear in a cloud of bright lights.

-

"Why did you disobey me?" asked Bazette, when Rider disappeared and she decided to discover what her Servant thought before it was too late.

Berserker glanced at the building that supposedly had a sniper and glow of rage in his eyes seemed to dim when he looked back.

"I didn't know that you had that sword with you." He paused and smirked as he added.

"I only wished to protect you, daughter of Ulster."

"I see." Bazette managed to keep her expression unchanged, but mentally she was blushing and confused, because she didn't expected a mad killing machine, as Kotomine Kirei described Berserker class, to behave so… close to what she hoped for from the very start.

"I need to rest now. And this time you will turn away when I change my clothing."

"Yes, Master." answered the spear wielding heroic spirit, his tone bordering on laugh.

-

Far above the city, high enough not to be noticed by anyone at night, flew a chariot, pulled by two white horses, whose hooves crackled with lightning as they struck the air.

Inside were two people that just witnessed a battle below.

"To see such power from a modern magus…Did you saw everything?" asked one of them, a middle aged man and his enchanted monocle, that allowed him to see much further, reflected the moonlight as it was hidden in a pocket.

"Yes, I saw the battle clearly."

"Tell me your thoughts then, Archer."

"That Master's attack worries me more than Berserker. Furthermore, Berserker seemed capable of buying his Master enough time even without his Noble Phantasm, especially against ranged attacks. Berserker might've canceled his attack, because his Master finished setting up the spell, but it's only a guess. Using my strongest attack might prove fatal if that attack was a created as a specialized counter to Noble Phantasms."

"In short, their strengths match your weaknesses." sighed Archer's Master and after a short silence, he suggested.

"What if we pit them against another Servant? Even if they win again, we'll have valuable information."

"A good plan, Master. Lancer would the best choice, because she's the second most troublesome enemy for me."

"It's settled then." said his companion and turned his attention to watching the city lights below.

-

Shiro, Caster and shield wearing Servant, entered the Emiya household and suddenly met with Sakura, who silently sat near the entrance.

"How was you walk, sempai? I couldn't sleep, so I decided to wait for you…" Sakura trailed off when she noticed a third figure.

"Who is she?"

"We met her on the way and decided to invite here. Her name is Ancile." When he chose the name that had no history he would want to forget about, Shiro glanced at the leather clad girl to see if she was going to protest, but Ancile said nothing.

-

"My name is Sakura. I live here with sempai." said the plum haired girl, slightly surprising Caster, who thought that Sakura would a lot less welcoming to another female guest.

Sakura did want to ask Shiro to get rid of Ancile as soon as possible, because as soon as she saw the shield wearing girl, she felt a disturbing similarity between them. A similarity that reminded her about a certain room burned down by Lancer along with the rest of the house.

But she knew that unless she revealed more of her past that she wanted, others would think that she was against their new guest because of a jealousy and fear that Ancile would try to take Shiro away from her. And that's why she hid her thoughts under a smile, as she always used to do before Lancer showed up, and followed others to the living room.

-

Once everyone was seated around the table in the room, Caster told Ancile what she wanted to know.

"Tell us more about the 4th War. About Cup of Gods as you call it."

Ancile was about to speak when Caster remembered what happened to the other Servant when she spoke about her past at her home and interrupted.

"But feel free to take a break or bypass what you don't want to speak about. I just want to know if something wrong with Holy Grail, because I would hate if this city burned again."

Shiro jerked upright from his slightly sleepy posture when he heard her question and intently looked at Caster.

"Caster, didn't the priest told us that it happened because someone wished for it?"

"Who, in their right mind, would wish to destroy everything around him, yet preserve her existence? It doesn't make sense for either Kotomine or your father to wish for something like that."

"Then what do you think…" Shiro started to ask, but was interrupted by Tohsaka.

"That's what I'm trying to discover, Emiya. Now be quiet and listen."

"I was scared of what you call Holy Grail and thought that it could be a passage to another world, but I can't remember why. I even maneuvered myself in front of it, so Saber would kill me with it and that was when darkness attacked. It was like Hades afterwards."

"Ah, you can stop now." said Shiro when he saw that Ancile's eyes turned black again and a scary expression appeared on Sakura's, usually pleasant, face.

"Oh? Ah, I'm sorry. I… never liked to recall the past."

-

'I can stay quiet. Sempai is in danger.' thought Sakura, with determination. She would've gladly stayed silent, but not after she saw Ancile's eyes. More precisely what seemed to live in her spirit and could control her, according to what she just told them.

"Sempai, please listen to me. She must not stay with us. She's very dangerous."

"What?"

Shiro turned to the plum haired in confusion and tried to understand what she was so worried about.

"Sakura, she might sound strange, but she was alone for ten years."

"But what if she looses control again? I'm worried about your life."

Before Shiro could speak again, Caster answered instead of him.

"Her shield reversed the changes when we talked at her home. I think as long as she has it, she can control herself just fine."

Sakura opened her mouth to tell them that the darkness only hid from other, just like it was in her body, but once again chose to keep her past unknown to others.

"Fine. I'll go prepare some tea if our talk would last much longer."

"No, that's enough for now. She can't tell us more than she remembers, right? Good night, Emiya." said Caster as she yawned and walked out.

-

It was close to dawn when a figure, with something big held on her elbow, tried to silently leave the Emiya household.

'Where are you going to? Did you lie about not having a Master?' thought another figure as it left her observation post in the shadows and went after the first, without a usual rainbow trail this time.

The chase lasted after about ten minutes with Caster always maintaining a distance that kept her from being noticed and ended at the house that she visited a few hours ago.

Caster sneaked inside, heading for a room that was lit and when she looked inside, thanking that the house had almost no door, she saw her target.

Ancile sat with her back towards the door and seemed concentrated on something that was hidden from Caster by a table that stood between them.

-

"What are you doing." asked Tohsaka as she walked into the room.

These sudden words caused Ancile to jolt from surprise and she almost dropped the shield from her lap when she turned to see her guest with a short sword that suddenly appeared in her hand.

"Please don't scare me like that. I nearly ruined it." said grey-eyed Servant after her breathing and heart beat returned to normal and she sighed in relief when she saw her creation wasn't badly deformed.

"I wanted to give a present to that boy for his kindness, but this is all I'm skilled in, besides fighting." said Ancile motioning towards a pile of clay on the small table at her feet that she started to shape into a plate.

"I would do it at your home, but all my tools are here and I decided to run here and try to make it before you started searching for me."

"Who would've thought…You should hurry then. Shiro wakes up early." said Caster as she turned to leave, but stopped to ask with a trace of curiosity in her voice.

"Last question. Did you dye your hair?"

"How did you know?!" Ancile reached with her hand to grab a strand of her hair and stopped before she got clay in it.

"Simple. In one of the places I can see blonde roots. Come to me after you finish your present and I'll help you." said the brunette and smiled as she left.

-

In Einzbern castle the breakfast was over and Emilya was playing chess with her Master when they simultaneously frowned and looked into the window at the city.

"What are they up to, now?"

-

"They are there? Why can't you kill them from here? It's no longer dangerous for me." Asked Archer's Master when they arrived to their usual observation spot on the roof of one of highest buildings in Fuyuki.

"Lancer would be able to save her Master before my arrow hits their castle. She put a lot of guards in the forest and beyond." answered the Servant, pointing to several birds in the sky.

"Even if I destroy these birds first, she would be warned and won't stay at their home any longer."

"Then proceed with our plan."

Archer nodded and said the name of his weapon when he extended his hand.

"Gāndeeva"

With a burst of flames, a long golden bow appeared in his hands. He was given it by Agni, the fire-god, when the deity tried to nurse himself back to health by consuming a forest. Unfortunately, in this forest lived a friend of Indra, Arjuna's father, who summoned rain to keep his friend's home intact.

Armed with Gāndeeva, Arjuna and his friend could rival even Indra and fought him for several days until their opponent withdrew from the fight.

Archer took an arrow, with a note wrapped around it, from his Master, aimed at the window where he could see Lancer and fired.

-

"He wanted to kill you?" asked Ilya when her Servant's hand blurred and snatched an arrow from the air.

"No, it has a note attached." answered Lancer and threw the arrow outside after she took the note off.

"Tonight Berserker will pass near the bridge." Emilya took her attention off the piece of paper and looked at the younger girl.

"Why they told us that?"

"It's either an ambush or they can't defeat Berserker and came for the help." answered Ilya and added, with a smile that would, as Emilya thought, chill those who didn't knew the girl enough.

"I doubt they know about my spell on the bridge, so any ambush will fail. Finally, we will kill at least one of Servants tonight. Their constant hiding irritated me."

"Then I'll prepare for the night."

-

An hour later, a similar arrow flew through the window of a house that Berserker's Master chose to sleep in and was immediately intercepted and crushed by the Servant's hand.

-

Tohsaka Rin sat in a chair in her mansion's library and read one of the many books on magecraft that she inherited from her father. But her thoughts were elsewhere.

'For a Master to stay at home because Servant refused to go outside?! And what kind of battle plan is 'Let the mongrels fight with each other. When the last one comes here, I'll kill the pest.'? This is ridiculous.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a buzz from intercom and the maid's voice.

"Tohsaka-san, a guest wants to meet you. What I should say?"

'A guest? Did Ayako decided to visit and ask why was I absent from school?

Rin put the book that described spells of wind element down and walked to the intercom.

"Who is it?"

"He said that he's your guardian. Your friend is also here."

'Kirei?! What is he doing here? And why Saber went to meet him?' thought Rin, more than innervated by these news.

'I'll be right there."

The girl looked around the room, regretting that she wasn't able to charge more jewels and grabbed the Azoth dagger from a nearby shelf before she left the room.

-

"Why are you here, Kirei?" asked Rin in a cold, business like voice when she got downstairs to the hall and saw the priest and Saber.

"I can't visit the one I took care of for years?" asked Kotomine, his face barely readable as always as were his eyes. When his words where met by silence, he continued.

"Straight to the point then. I have a deal with you, Rin."

"A deal?" asked Tohsaka, reaching for her jewels and hid one of them in her hand to suppress her nervousness. She knew that whatever reason was behind his visit, it couldn't be good for her, especially during the War.

"I came to take your Command Seals away." said the priest and coldly smiled as he took out three swords with short, light blades from under his coat. Those were Black Keys, a weapon used by Church's executioners and he wielded them skillfully.

"I see." Rin stepped back, before she crushed the fear inside and looked at her Servant.

"Saber, kill him."

To her shock, Saber only grinned.

"His ideas amused me, Master, so if you want to keep my divine favor, you'll have to kill him yourself. But..." Gilgamesh's red eyes narrowed and filled with a killing intent as she continued.

"… if you dare to order me, you will die by my hand."

Saber leaned back in the chair she sat in and waved her hand.

"Now fight."

-

The duel, if a fight between Kirei, who had fighting experience from missions he had done for the Church, and Rin could be called that, wasn't going well.

The priest dodged her Gandr and when he tried to approach, she threw the jewel she had in her hand, but it was knocked aside by a Black Key.

'Damn. Damn you, Kirei!' thought the girl when two more swords followed the first and one of them, despite her desperate dodging, deeply cut shoulder of her hand that had magic crest on it. The shock from the pain was short, but it was more than enough for Kotomine to get close and Rin knew that in hand to hand she couldn't hope to defeat the one who taught how to fight, especially when one of her hands barely moved.

-

When another painful strike broke through her defense, she tried to disengage and reach for the Azoth dagger, the only weapon that gave her some chance of victory, but that left her wide open.

Kotomine immediately used that opportunity to send her into a wall with a powerful punch to her chest, effectively ending the fight.

Tohsaka slid down and stopped in a sitting position and tried to suppress the pain she felt in her entire body.

"I won, Rin. Give me your Command Spells now." said Kotomine, but heard no answer. He pulled out another sword and poked one of the girl's wounds with it, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Answer one question first." asked Rin in a quiet voice because most of her energy was concentrated on slowly moving her free hand toward Azoth's hilt. Her intent was hidden from Kirei, but Saber noticed it and raised an eyebrow at this show of perseverance.

She was fairly sure that she could ignore pain from her shoulder and move quick enough to stab the priest and kill him with release of energy that was stored within, but she desperately needed more time.

"Was it you who sent me the reagent for Saber's summoning?"

The priest hesitated for a second, but decided to answer.

"Yes. I was fighting with your father in the previous Holy Grail War and I found the box with the reagent in this very house. I don't know why your father didn't use it. Now give me you Command Spells."

When his words where met with silence again, Kotomine slowly pulled back the sword that was pressed to the Tohsaka's hand. As the blade easily cut through cloth and below, the pain overwhelmed her will for a short moment and caused uncontrollable twitch in her hand that could almost touch Azoth's hilt now.

'Almost there. Stall him for a little longer, Rin.' thought the girl as she tried to bring her hand back under her control.

"I'm tired of waiting. If you don't give me, I'll take them myself." said the priest and prepared for a swing that would cut her hand off.

"Wait, Kotomine. Such a spirited girl deserves to be kept intact." said Saber and the priest stopped his swing in the mid-air.

"Very well. Then listen, you know that I'm adept at healing and if I promised that you won't pass out as I use my knowledge of a human body on you, that it will be so."

"I know. I'll give you two of them."

"No compromises. I want them all." said Kotomine and poked one of her wounds with his sword.

Rin gritted her teeth to keep herself from yelling and when she pushed the pain far enough, she forced herself to smile and answered, her words accompanied by a laugh from Saber.

"Then you'll have to kill me."

-

A half an hour later, Rin lay in her room with bandages over her wounds and only one crimson mark on her hand. But she knew that she was as good as a prisoner now and had no illusions that Kirei wanted to spare her as long as she remained a Master.

-

-

A\N: Poor Rin. There's no route where she's not wounded in some way.

Also, one more chapter to go.


	10. Chapter 8 Part 1

Chapter 8 part 1.

-

-

The night and the time mentioned in the note came and Lancer stood on top of the Fuyuki bridge, waiting for enemies. She seemed careless as she wasn't looking around, but through her link to her Master she could use the spell cast on the bridge and with it shecould see even Archer who was far in the sky.

-

Emilya was about to begin talking with her big sister to lift the boredom she felt from an hour of waiting, but, suddenly, she felt a slight tug from the magic seal beneath her that signaled that enemy was close.

'Fight is about to start. Are you sure you want to stay nearby? Archer is most likely waiting for an opportunity to ambush us and I can't fight two enemies at once.' mentally asked Lancer, worried for Ilya's safety because her hiding spot, unfortunately, was on the same side of the bridge that enemy entered from.

'Yes. And as long as they don't know where to look or that I'm a Master, I'm safe.' answered her Master's mental whisper.

-

'Here they come.'

'I'm ready.' answered Emilya and her favorite weapon appeared in her hand as she watched a Servant and his Master walk closer.

-

'I know him!' thought Lancer in surprise, when she saw a tall man in tight blue leather armor with a short black hair and blood colored eyes.

When she jumped down to face him, a crimson cloud engulfed the enemy Servant's hand and an unforgettable crimson spear, that almost ended her life when she lived as Emiya Shiro, appeared in his hand.

'He might've almost killed me then, but I won't let it happen now. Not when he's a Berserker and can't use his cursed spear fully.' thought Lancer and dashed forward.

-

'He's fast…' thought the young woman when Berserker matched, if not surpassed, her speed. After their weapons met, she felt her naginata wrenched out of her hands by power behind Berserker's attack and as the weapon ricocheted off the bridge's surface and flew away, she finished the thought, slightly worried '… and strong.'

-

The fighters were moving so fast that, to their Masters, they turned into a blur which released the sounds of clashing weapons and, occasionally, a naginata knocked away from Lancer's hands.

'Why is he trying to disarm me? Isn't a Berserker supposed to aim for a kill whoever he is?' thought the Emilya in confusion as another blow struck her weapon instead of her body and she once again instantly replaced her lost weapon.

-

Whatever were the reasons behind Berserker attempts to disarm his opponent, they gradually disappeared as was proven by blows that, at first aimed to disarm, but progressively became fiercer and deadlier.

Nevertheless the white haired fighter was now used to her enemy's fighting style and her calm and concentrated mind compensated for having inferior strength and, thankfully not by a lot, inferior speed.

-

'It's good that he's mad or he could've used my pillars against me.' thought Lancer as her naginata's blade glistened with water and when the Berserker's swing, that aimed for her neck, was stopped by stone, she stabbed him from behind the pillar and pierced his side. That unexpected trick and pain from a wound made the black haired Servant roar in rage and stab through the stone, almost reaching the woman behind it.

-

As Lancer weaved around Berserker, blocking his attacks mostly by well timed stone spikes, she was planning on how to win.

Her first plan was to change her weapon and fighting style, but it was rejected, because her enemy tried to simply overpower her and wouldn't even notice that, suddenly, she fought differently.

-

'It looks like I have to kill his Master. If only he gave me enough time for Nine Lives.' thought Lancer and with a short downward swing several stone spikes shot from the ground, halting Berserker's advance for long enough to free her attention and command two of her bird creations to fly up from their positions.

-

As the birds rose, Emilya felt a tinge of regret at her attempt to take another's life. Even though she knew that it was needed and was able to do it, the unwillingness to hurt anyone remained.

It even managed to compete with her desire to save Ilya, but the outcome of this internal battle was decided a long time ago, when her ideals were mostly abandoned for Sakura's sake and according to her will, the birds dove towards Berserker's Master, aiming at the woman's vital spots.

-

But to Lancer's surprise her opponent's Master was capable of defending herself, as was proven when the first bird shattered after it met a black gloved hand and the second one was smashed in pieces with a kick.

"You won't take me down that easily." said Bazette as she smoothed her glove where it met the metal bird's beak and looked at Lancer who resumed her fight with Berserker.

"I will definitely survive until his victory."

-

'Damn. I have no choice but use Nine Lives now.' cursed Lancer and when an opportunity presented itself, first line of her chant flew from her lips.

"My body is made of swords."

-

Emilya sidestepped to avoid a thrust, ducked and whirled under a horizontal follow up swing, simultaneously changing hands on her weapon to launch a drop of water from her blade. When the stone intercepted Berserker's attack as she predicted and gave her a moment long breather, another line deepened her concentration.

"Iron is my blood, and glass is my heart."

-

'Soon.' That thought accompanied Lancer's feint that slightly threw off her enemy's aim, the crimson spear's controlled impact against the naginata's shaft that was used as leverage to flip over to his flank and another stone pillar blocked a stab upon her landing.

"I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated."

-

'One line left.' thought Emilya as she checked the last part of her plan and smiled when nothing unpredictable could be found in Berserker's attacks.

-

She took her weapon with both hands, shifted its position to horizontal and when it suddenly glowed, she threw it at Berserker. Simultaneously, she traced another polearm and stuck it into the ground. When her thrown weapon hit the spear, she jumped up and kicked off the naginata's shaft, performing a back flip that launched her far enough to avoid Ame-no-nuhoko's explosion.

While she was still in the air, a sword with a spiral blade appeared in her hand and reformed into a javelin made from light.

After a moment, the smoke was torn away by the wind and Berserker's figure reappeared from the cloud. When he saw the weapon that was thrown at him, his eyes widened and he jumped back as fast as he could. Lancer mirrored his movement and jumped in opposite direction as soon as her feet touched the ground.

-

The energy within Caladbolg III was freed with a flash that engulfed both combatants and briefly blinded Berserker, who, unlike his opponent, didn't covered his eyes.

-

'Perfect. Thank you, Master.' thought Emilya as the shockwave that tore through the air, making the bridge moan as if it was in pain, and a pillar of energy that violently poured into the sky from the impact point, stalled Berserker for even more time than she anticipated.

"Without once retreating,  
Nor once being understood."

When she finished the line, Lancer lifted her hand and a bright sphere of light that appeared in her palm, extended and formed a huge stone sword that, miraculously, was held by her slender hand without any visible strain.

-

With a mad roar, Berserker shot through the withering pillar of light and even as ready as Emilya was, she still shivered when she saw a strange ripple run through his body, shaking it as he dashed towards her. One of his eyes started to sink deeper into his head while the other one did the opposite. His feet and shins began to move, switching to the rear and his heels and calves switched to the front and the changes continued throughout his whole body, distorting it so much that Lancer had to force herself ignore that sight if she wanted to keep her concentration.

When blue-clad Servant entered her striking distance, Emilya tapped into the memory of her sword and released the power she needed with a single phrase.

"Nine Lives Blade Works."

-

Heracles's legendary technique, nine strikes done with god level speed nearly simultaneously tore into Berserker's body: first three soundly met the crimson spear, cutting away his hand with a fountain of blood after they passed the weapon, next four deeply bit into his chest as they tried to reach his heart and last two left deep slashes on his head, further distorting his once handsome face.

-

To Lancer's great surprise, these injuries, most of them fatal as she thought, only forced Berserker to snatch his weapon back from the air with his intact hand and before the white haired woman could came up with defense, the crimson spear spun and its shaft smashed into her chest. That club-like attack sent Lancer flying fast enough to break through several bridges' support beams even with her light body.

When his enemy's flight ended and she limply fell to the ground, Berserker poured all of the energy he could into his spear and threw it at his target with a roar that could be remotely interpreted as 'Gae Bolg'.

-

On the roof of a building that was a block away from the bridge, a young girl, that bore a striking resemblance to white haired fighter, saw what was about to happen through her Servant's eyes and lifted her hand that bore three red marks.

One of them flared before disappearing and Lancer's body obeyed her Master's command. It phased out of existence and reappeared at Ilya's feet, narrowly avoiding Gae Bolg's explosion that destroyed a sizeable part of the bridge and showered the water below with debris.

-

Back on the bridge, the warp spasm left Berserker's body along with his battle rage and as he dissolved into a cloud of sparks, Cuchulainn said to his Master with a laugh.

"I wish I touched your lips with mine. Farewell, daughter of Ulster."

-

Left alone and momentarily stunned by the silence, Bazette suddenly felt something hot trickle down her cheek. She retracted the hand that she didn't notice stretching towards her Servant and wiping the liquid off her face, she looked at her hand. Instead of blood, as she half-expected, she found only water.

"Am I crying? I've never thought I would." said Bazette as she tried to restore her usual demeanor, but her resolve cracked more and more, until the woman stopped restraining herself.

-

When she finally calmed down, not in the least because she was still on the battlefield, Bazette removed the remaining tears and looked for the last time at the damaged bridge. Before her usual self fully returned, she clenched her fist and said with a passion.

"I'll find you Lancer's Master. And you will pay for taking away my dream."

-

An hour later, a lone guest entered the church and loudly called as she walked deeper in.  
"Kirei, are you here? Kotomine Kirei?"

-

After long and fruitless search, Bazette stopped her efforts and feeling herself very tired, she went to the main hall.  
"I'll look for him tomorrow. And when he tells me who Lancer's Master is, I'll..." What she intended to do to her target wasn't heard, because Bazette went to sleep as soon as she lay on one of the benches and relaxed.

-

Caster, dressed as Kaleido Ruby, walked along on the sidewalk, looking at her destination; the house she called her own a long, long time ago.  
Soon she was close enough to use needed spells and tried to spy on residents of the house.  
'That's unexpected.' She thought in surprise when even the easiest spells she knew demanded more power. Frowning, she stopped, still far enough to avoid detection, and started to change beginning stage of her plan. That plan allowed her to use the most useful tool she had in her weakened state, her own and Archer's life stories that, coupled with Caster knowledge of herself will make her younger self ally with Shiro to prevent the Grail from appearing.

'Even if she won't agree with me, I'll trade the few days I have left for Grail's destruction and safety of everybody at Shiro's home.' thought Tohsaka and idly twirled the ever present Kaleidostick in her hand.

That movement attracted her attention to it and cold sweat ran along her back at the thought of what could happen to her if she used that infernal magical device for recon.  
'There has to be another way. Maybe I'll use her friends to lure her out of the house?' thought Caster as she reviewed her options again, but in the end she looked at Kaleidostick again.

.

Shiro woke up and groggily looked at the ceiling as he tried to understand if he had any memories of this night, or a suspicious void instead. When he couldn't find either, he decided to get up.  
'I wonder if I can create those swords now.' thought the boy as he looked at his hands and for the hundredth time remembered how he was creating them. He once again recalled that he promised Caster to never use this ability until his Servant understood what it was.

-

When he walked out, he almost bumped into Sakura who carried a tray with food.  
"Good morning, sempai." said the girl, readjusting the tray that nearly fell out of her hands.  
"I'm glad that you are finally rested and energetic today."

"Ahh, thank you. But you don't have to bother yourself with bringing me breakfast." answered Shiro, slightly embarrassed that she did most of the housework while he was busy with school, his part-time jobs or Caster.

"No, this is for Archer. She refused to eat with everyone, so I decided to bring it to her." answered the plum-haired girl with a smile.  
"But you better hurry, or Taiga and Caster will eat even your part."  
"Right."

-

When he got close to the dining room, he heard what Tohsaka talked with Fuji-nee and sighed when he heard that they discussed his life again.  
"I'm glad she keeps company to Fuji-nee, but she could've asked me that."

-

When he entered the room, the discussion abruptly stopped but Taiga's gleaming eyes would've told him what they were talking about even if he hasn't heard them.

"Shiro, what happened with Sakura? She said that she'll eat in her room."  
"I don't know. Maybe she wants to be alone for now." said Shiro, as he tried to think of a way to change the subject before... Taiga stood up and said with feeling of finality.  
"I think you should go support her, Shiro."  
His guardian stood up and looked over the table before she picked few less touched dishes and gave them to him.  
"Here. With these you have a reason to join her."

Shiro, rendered speechless with amount of force in her words, looked at Caster for support, but found that he barely held of a laugh and with a sigh, he took the dishes and walked to kitchen for a tray.

-

At first, he went to Archer's room because he hoped to meet Sakura there, but when he opened the door, he saw that Archer was alone.

"Good morning, Shiro." said Archer and when she saw tray with food in his hands, she undecidedly pointed at dishes before her and added.  
"Sakura already brought me food and I can't eat another bite now. I'm sorry..."  
"Don't worry, Archer. I'm glad to take care of you." said Shiro and after a glance of the clock nearby he hurried to his room, only place he could eat his meal before he had to run to school.

There he saw Sakura, who was removing nearly invisible traces of dust from the furniture.

-

Miraculously, he came to school even earlier than usual. When he walked towards his class, he briefly stopped to see if Tohsaka Rin came to school today and suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.  
"Are you waiting for that girl again? You should stay away from her, Emiya, I heard that not only she skipped several days for now without a reason, but even came to school drunk."

Shiro turned to Issei and answered.  
"I think it's just a rumor. I'll ask Ayako about her if you want."

-

"Shiro? Why are you here?" asked, Ayako, the captain of the school archery club, when she saw Emiya enter her classroom and walk to her.  
"If it's about archery club, we can talk after school."  
"No, I want to ask about Tohsaka Rin, because I don't want the recent rumors to harm her when she comes back to school."

The girl blinked in surprise and thought that if anyone but Emiya asked her this, she would've thought that Rin was about to win their bet.  
"I don't know myself. But we can go visit her today if you want."

-

After the first class has ended, Shiro felt Caster presence nearby and walked to the staircase.

There he saw Caster, dressed in her favorite red and black clothes, who leaned on the wall while she waited. Curiously, as Shiro walked down the stairs, he couldn't shake off the feeling that she looked like a teacher. When he was about to speak, she interrupted him and said.

"Emiya, what are planning to do after school?"

This question caught Shiro off-guard and he paused for several seconds as he tried to figure out why she asked him this. Finally he answered.  
"I wanted to go with Ayako to visit Rin. Do you know what happened to her?"

-

'Of all the ideas, Emiya...' thought Caster as she thought that there was no way she could tell him that Tohsaka was a Master the moment she saw the jewel on the blood-stained floor after her summoning and if he went to her house, that Servant would gladly finish the job. She gathered her thoughts and carefully started to answer.

"Yes, I can tell you what she was doing, but only after the school." She paused, unsure if could tell it without suspicions, but her unwillingness to see an innocent caught in crossfire, if Rin's Servant was more than she could handle, won and she spoke.  
"Ask Ayako to visit Rin tomorrow instead of today."

Shiro eyes narrowed when he felt that something was wrong through their link.

"Wait for me here, Caster. I'll be back soon." With these words he turned around and ran up the stairs to the class where Fuji-nee was.

-

Shiro walked into the classroom and as soon as he said that he needed to go home, Taiga interrupted him.  
"You are worried about Sakura, aren't you?" asked the teacher as she thought that it was her duty as a guardian to handle any obstacles on the path of love. Especially, when Sakura needed support so much.  
"Well, then you can go. I'll will help you with you future!" exclaimed Taiga when returned from the clouds and immediately started to push the boy outside.  
"Now go!"

-

'What happened to Fuji-nee?' thought surprised Shiro as he walked to Caster.  
'Usually she gets mad at the thought of skipping a class.'

-

"I'm ready."  
"Then let's go home. I'll tell you there." Caster sighed and chided herself for trying to prevent harm to Ayako, before she walked downstairs, followed by Shiro.

-

"Why are you back so early?" asked Sakura when she Shiro and Caster.  
"It's nothing. Caster…"  
"I need to tell you something." interrupted Tohsaka and added.  
"Sakura, call Archer please."  
When the plum haired girl hurried away, Shiro turned to Caster. Now his suspicion that something was wrong was more than confirmed  
"Why did you tell her that? Now she'll be worried."

-

Soon, Sakura returned with Archer and Caster used the chance not to answer her Master.  
"As I learned, Tohsaka Rin was one of the Masters, but Kotomine Kirei took the Servant from her."  
Rin saw that Shiro's features hardened and tried to calm him before any brave and selfless, but, with her tiny amount of Mana, ultimately suicidal ideas appeared in his head.

"She's still alive. And it's a bad idea to try to save her now, because I won't be able to fight that Servant and keep Kirei away from you at the same time. And if I lose…" Caster looked at Archer, who immediately shied away and clutched her ever-present shield tighter, while her eyes pleaded Shiro for forgiveness.  
"You don't have to fight if don't want to, Archer."  
Shiro turned back to Caster and asked in an unusually firm voice.  
"Caster, will she'll be okay until we defeated that priest?"

Tohsaka hid a wince at the question that she didn't know how answer. In fact she was surprised that Rin was alive and had her arms intact, because she thought that Kirei would kill her to remove a possible obstacle.  
She looked at the redheaded boy that, as she knew, was ready to save her younger self with nothing than his bare hands if he felt that she was lying. Caster released a heavy sigh and her shoulders slumped, before she forced her irritation at her reckless Master to subside and quickly created another plan before she spoke again.  
"Then listen, Master. When the night comes, we'll go to Rin's home. I'll distract Kirei's Servant while Archer will sneak in and take Rin. You will stay far away in a safe place and will use a Command Seal if I lose. "  
"And if that happens we'll go to Archer's home. I doubt that anyone knows about that place."  
"But Caster…"  
"You will stay away from the battle, Master. Unless you want us both die." said Tohsaka with steel in her voice.  
"Now, rest Shiro. I'll go make some preparations at Archer's place."

-

Several hours later, when Shiro was helping Sakura with afternoon meal, Caster returned and immediately went to Archer, who was sitting in the yard and watched the clouds in the sky.  
"Archer."  
The dreamy look disappeared from the face of the shield wearing Servant and she turned to the other woman.  
"When Sakura finishes her meal, take her to you home and return. We'll need you to take Rin from her house while I distract the enemy Servant and Kirei."  
"No fighting?" asked Archer as she looked at Caster, endlessly relieved that her internal dispute between fear of falling into madness again and wish to help those who helped her, was finished.  
"No fighting. Break into her room through the window and get her to your home as fast as you can. Then if all goes well, we'll meet you there."

-

"Stop." Caster said to her Master when they saw Tohsaka mansion and turned to him and shield wearing Servant.

"Shiro, you'll stay here and will use a Command Seal to save me if I lose." She briefly paused and directed a stern glare at the redheaded boy. "Don't try to run in and protect me. Stay here and save me with a command seal."  
"You, Archer do as we planned. I'll distract the Servant and you'll enter the house through the window on the other side and take her to your home."

Archer nodded and carefully slipped the shield on her left hand, freeing her hands.

-

Caster stopped about twenty meters before the house and almost immediately felt that the Servant inside of the house walked to the front door.  
'I wish I could use Kaleidostick now.' thought Caster 'Rainbow Cannon would've made this easier.'  
For a moment, she recalled what that wand promised to do to her after it was used for spying, and quickly crushed any regrets along with a strong mental twitch.

-

When a young blonde girl, clad in black and white outfit, was about to exit the house, Caster was ready.  
"Jeweled Sword of Zelretch."

-

Several shields appeared before the girl and blocked the rainbow blast, but the impact was enough to knock her down.  
"Why you…!" growled the girl and Caster barely had enough time to send another energy wave to neutralize a sudden torrent of projectiles from the blonde.

However it proved futile when her blast met the shields again and with nothing to repel them, weapons from Gate of Babylon struck home.

"Feh. So weak." Saber snorted in disgust and walked closer to see her opponent's face before she killed her.

-

"You? Could that mongrel…?"  
Caster felt something pull her up and soon her face was at the same level as the blonde's.

"Hm. It's not an illusion." Saber threw away a polished square-shaped crystal and a vial fell into her hand instead. She drank it and after few seconds, her form changed into a grown man, clad in golden armor and red cape.

"Do you recognize me? From your past?"

"I won't tell you about my past."

-

Far away, Shiro recognized the man that almost killed him once and, with no hesitation, one of the crimson marks on his hand flashed to life.

-

"She escaped?" asked the priest when he exited the house.  
"There was another Servant. She took Rin away. Can you return her?"  
"Let the cowards run." answered Gilgamesh "Their lives are at their end anyway."

"I'm tired of these games. It's time to end this."

-

He reached to grab a sword hilt that appeared behind him and pulled out an unusual looking sword.

Three rapidly rotating petals of ruby light appeared on pillar shaped blade and Saber called out the name of his Noble Phantasm.  
"Enuma Elish!"

-  
-

A\N: The end of part 1 of this action filled chapter.


	11. Chapter 8 part 2

Chapter 8 part 2

-

It might be of lesser quality than usual and I had to drop a few things that slowed the story down, but it's here! Later I'll polish it and add the stuff I dropped.

-

-

First one to heed the call was Archer that appeared in his chariot, pulled by twin white horses. But instead of descending, he remained in the night sky.

Saber, who stood before Tohsaka mansion, snapped his fingers in irritation.

"Get down here, you vulture."

-

Before his enemy's attack could reach them, Archer already jumped out of the doomed chariot with his Master gently held in his hands.

-

He landed a street away from his opponent and put the mage on the ground before flame swirled in his hands and formed a bow.

"Please run away, Master." Said the Servant, before clearing the distance between him and his enemy in one leap.

-

Emilya swam through sea of her memories, almost sure that she lost the battle and was back in her world. A world where she slept alongside her swords until a mage, from one of the dimensions where Holy Grail Wars still raged, would summon her to the battle for a chance to reach Akasha.

And she waited this, because, regardless of the outcome, it would give a dream she never saw before.

However that solitude cracked when a familiar sharp voice reverberated in her head.

"Wake up!"

"Wake up, Lancer!" this time the shout was accompanied with a slap and a rush of energy.

-

The ruby-eyed woman slowly opened her eyes and saw the night sky. She lifted herself on an elbow and felt that a weight shifted its position on her legs.

"Finally! You slept for the whole day." Ilya's angry voice came from somewhere close. Emilya blinked away a few tears from painfully bright starlight and saw Ilya that sat on her lap with a both disappointed and worried expression.

"I won?"

"You killed Berserker, but I had to use a Command Seal to save you and then I had to hide us because Archer looked for you and worse, when you appeared near me, you started to glow with a blue light! I had to sustain the spell for entire day before he left."

Lancer, slightly dizzy from this torrent of emotions, gently removed the girl from her body and stood up before she answered as she recalled the last seconds of her recent fight.

"I never thought that someone could break through 'Nine Lives'. Berserker indeed."

Suddenly, she turned to her Master and said with a smirk.

"Did I ever tell you that he almost killed me when I was alive? I hope he's not fated to scare me like that."

Emilya wanted to continue, but Ilya's impatient glare was enough to make serious as well.

"What else happened while I healed?"

"A few hours ago, two Servants crossed the one of sentry spells towards Tohsaka's house. They were together and that means that they were Caster and the Servant she found. One walked back, but nobody returned to Shiro's home."

"Do you mean…" Lancer didn't finish the phrase when she understood the reason behind Ilya's anger.

'Shiro and others are dead? Dead… And Caster was the only one who could've agreed to stop Grail even from appearing.'

Emilya's face hardened and she said in voice that now sounded like a copy of Ilya's.

"That means I'll just have to kill everyone else before they get a chance to hurt you."

Suddenly, the building they were on, shook and a rapidly growing pillar of ruby light shot into the sky from somewhere near Kotomine's church.

'Here they are. That was as soon as I wanted to. That Servant will die, whoever he is." darkly smiled Lancer as she traced a throwing spear that started to glow when Mana began to pour into it.

"Stay here, Master. It's too dangerous there." With that, Emilya jumped from the roof and dashed towards her target,

-

Emilya landed on another roof and had to crouch when, suddenly, two energy blasts, that dwarfed Excalibur's attack, clashed and made the very ground and air howl in agony.

In a minute, the wind and shaking subsided and Lancer jumped to the last building she saw in front.

-

There she saw Saber and Archer preparing their weapons for another round. Neither noticed her because she approached them from the side. Although, they were so focused on each other that she doubted that they could anything but themselves.

"Enuma Elish!" a crimson wave shot from Saber.

"Seal to the Creation's End!" A blinding white arrow flew from Archer's bow and met with its counterpart. Two lines clashed and intertwined in an orb of light that dug a crater in the ground.

The wind, created by the blast, began to tear the roof from nearby house and the crater quickly grew to, and then past, the fighters, leaving untouched only the ground the Servants stood on and a narrow v-shaped space behind them.

-

"It's been ages since I fought someone as strong as you. I'll hold nothing back now." Laughed Saber and began to charge Ea again, his action copied by Archer.

-

'I have no choice but to stop them now. They'll level the whole town like this.' Thought the white haired woman,

'But which one I should kill? I prepared only one spear.'

The light from the Noble Phantasms intensified and now it fully hid the wielders and recolored the nearby area: Ea, the sword that split the heaven and earth apart, bathed everything in flickering deep crimson, sharply contrasting with the weapon, destined to bring the end to all, that bleached the surroundings with blinding pure white.

'I have no time. Archer it is then.'

-

Emilya jumped from her position and Areadbhar shot from her hand towards Archer, who sensed danger and started to turn.

In the next moment she saw that her weapon was dodged and whispered.

"Ibur."

The enchantment placed on spear of Assal activated and it instantly consumed all stored Mana before it made a 180 degree turn and impaled Archer through the heart, stopping his Noble Phantasm dead.

-

With a soft thump the bow fell from the Servant hands and he turned to the King of Heroes

"I wish I could continue this rare battle, but I have no regrets. I've done all I could."

-

Gilgamesh's face contorted in anger and when Archer disappeared, a torrent of weapons flew at the house wreck where Lancer hid herself.

"He was to be killed by my hand, you snake!"

-

The bladed rain continued until what remained of the building collapsed, creating a huge dust cloud.

"Feh. Even a grave is too much honor for you, mongrel." snorted Gilgamesh and Ea disappeared in mid-air when he dropped it.

He already turned to leave, when Lancer's voice said a few quiet words and a small object, its shape blurred from speed, shot from the right side of the dust cloud and angled towards him.

-

Lancer dropped Rho Aius and couldn't help but smirk when she that Saber thought that she died.

'You can deflect any attack from one direction, but what about three?'

"Iron is my blood, and glass is my heart."

Her naginata appeared in her hand, its blade glistening with water, and she entered a stance where the weapon was pointed up and back.

"I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated,

Without once retreating,

Nor once being understood."

Her muscles tensed and a lightning fast slash sent an air pressure wave at Saber, alongside with a few drops of water that were kept safely in the vacuum pocket behind the razor wind. After a moment, Lancer herself followed with a frontal assault.

-

Gilgamesh turned to her, but, surprisingly, he paid no attention to the attacks. In fact he seemed to wait for them.

"I'm almost glad that you survived." calmly said the golden armored Servant as stone spikes that burst from the ground on his left side shattered against one shield and Hrunting bounced off another, but when two crossed swords blocked Lancer's weapon, he added with a fury twisted voice.

"Now I shall give you a thousand tortures that only I, King of Heroes, can think of!"

-

'Damn' thought Emilya when a hammer appeared between them and swung at her. With no time to withdraw her weapon or dodge, she caught the hammer's strike with her crossed arms.

After the impact nearly broken her forearms and sent the ruby eyed woman skidding backwards, she heard a sound of a rattling chain behind her and used her momentum to fall and roll away just in time for four spiked chains to collide over her head and vanish.

-

"Tch. Looks like I'll have to break your legs as well." said her enemy with a smug grin and snapped his fingers to fire another salvo of Noble Phantasms.

'He's harder than Berserker was. I couldn't even keep Hrunting aimed.' grimly thought Lancer as she rose on one knee and extended a hand forward.

"Rho Aius."

A flower made from a red light, blossomed before her hand and its seven large petals stopped Saber's projectiles, every hit sending a wave of pain.

"I can't break through?" asked Gilgamesh and lifted an eyebrow in surprise as neither of weapons flung from his treasury could even crack the transparent barrier. He stopped the rain of blades and reached to pull a scythe out of air behind. When he put it on his shoulder, he said.

"But a simple shield can't stop me."

He sharply moved the scythe as if to put it more comfortably and, unexpectedly, its blade partially disappeared in the air. Simultaneously, he stopped his firing his Noble Phantasms. He didn't want to kill his enemy… yet.

"Ahh!" Lancer felt a blade stab her left hand and her shield, unable to receive anymore mana through the damaged limb, grew dim and withered away. She looked down and when she saw a scythe blade that retracted into the mid-air.

It took only a second to connect the bloodied metal and Saber's weapon and, clutching her left hand, she stood up and smiled as she said in a voice that copied Gilgamesh's confidence in victory.

"Thank you. That proved to be most useful for my collection. Now listen to my prayer, King of Heroes, when it's finished, you'll on your knees."

With these words, Emilya put her left hand behind her back with an expression aimed to further enrage her enemy and continued her chant.

"Always alone, thrilled with victory, on the hill of swords."

Huge gates opened behind Saber, who dismissed the scythe, and murderously glared at her.

"Therefore, there is no meaning to that life."

Weapons began appear on surface of the Gates of Babylon. Ten, twenty, thirty and finally all was covered with Noble Phantasms that floated half way out of Gilgamesh's vault.

"Perhaps all I have is …"

King of Heroes fired his treasures and madly grinned, fully expecting his enemy to die. But a multitude of flashes appeared before Lancer and her own rain of blades went to intercept.

"…'Unlimited Blade Works.'"

As soon as these words were said, her mind slipped into a brief trance while a blazing white circle of fire exploded outward, stopping everything in place as it rewrote the reality around fighters.

-

When time was unfrozen, both Servants found themselves in a barren land, as flat as clouds that covered the sky to the horizon, where they mixed with what looked like a giant clockwork mechanism. Light mist moved along the ground, through an endless amount of swords that stuck in the ground.

-

The first sound that broke the seeming solitude of this place was the sound of many weapons clashing at high speed.

That sound distracted King of Heroes from looking around and he saw that every weapon he sent from his vault was intercepted by its copy that flew from behind that insufferable snake, who once again charged forward in a useless frontal assault.

'She stole these weapons and stored them here?! And now she dared to steal from me?!' Enraged past the rational thought, Gilgamesh missed the signs that Lancer's weapons were just copies, and overwhelmed with blood thirst, he willed for his Chain of Heaven to tear the thief apart.

-

But the spikes that were to pierce Lancer limbs struck the swords that appeared around Lancer, and ricocheted away.

'You mock me again?!' Red haze fogged Gilgamesh's vision and he pulled out Ea and three blades of light began to spin once more.

"I'll turn you and your lair to dust!"

-

At the sight of Ea, an orb of light appeared in Lancer's hand, extended and shaped into a scythe. The woman stopped and "Hades" flew from her lips, before the blade sunk into the air three times: first cut away Saber's hand and the second struck him in the chest, barely missing the heart, and dropped him to on his knees.

"What?..." asked Gilgamesh in utter surprise when he saw Ea grow dim as it dug into the ground and felt a cold metal at his throat.

He balefully looked at the woman before him, ignoring the pressure that made it harder to talk.

'I'm still here, why? Did she want to boast first? Or was she fighting to save those mongrels?'

"Why do you fight? To stop me from purging all of the useless people from this world? Most of them are nothing compared even to a peasant from my time."

Lancer, who frantically thought about something, turned her attention to him and answered.

"A long time ago, my sister lost her life to save mine. I fought to save her from the Grail, but to return this life debt in full, I need to find how to stop her spiritual deterioration in less than a year. That's why you're alive."

"I overestimated you." laughed Saber and sharply stood up, paying no more attention to the scythe even when a trickle of blood ran down from his throat.

"You regret what happened, so you decided to devote yourself to a human from your memory. And instead of fighting for the better of the whole world, you cling to a fake. No matter how good a fake is, it's still a fake. Just like all the weapons around me."

Gilgamesh, turned around, ignoring that now Lancer's eyes shone in barely restricted fury.

"You can't be called an Eirei. With your blind devotion, you are closer to a guard dog. Don't worry; gaining the tainted Grail is not worth allowing you to die by my hand."

-

Lancer glared at Saber's back and thought of why she let him let live for so long after those insults. So far she had trouble finding even one, except for his decision not to fight her anymore and stop the Grail from appearing.

'But if even if I kill him, he's the last one. No one but me will be able to touch it.' But as tempting as it was, she knew that surviving Masters, she left alive, could try to harm Ilya in a desperate attempt to summon the cursed artifact and, so close to the end, Emilya's fear to bring harm to her sister became almost paranoid.

-

Suddenly, a thin, wide gold tablet fell from the air near Saber and Lancer gasped when she saw that something like a map was etched on it.

'It couldn't be, could it?'

She dismissed the Reality Marble along with the scythe and ran to pick it up, forgetting about Saber, who already walked out of her sight.

-

Upon closer inspection, the tablet really was a map. And on the top of it were engraved two words: Yukari Yakumo.

"This must be it. I hope this is it." said Emilya in a slightly trembling voice and turned to leave the demolished battlefield as well, hoping to show it to Ilya before the effect of Lancer class trait, that allowed her to fight injured, ended and she fell down like a brick.

-

Ilya, who sat near the house where Lancer left her, heard a tired voice call her name and turned around. She saw Emilya, dressed in her casual clothing, slowly walk to her, wincing in pain from each step and cradling her left hand with her right.

"You won?" asked the girl when she ran to her sister, who despite her injuries couldn't help but smile.

"Even better. I think this is the map to the one who can heal you." Emilya carefully released her wounded hand and gave Ilya a golden tablet.

"Just let me rest for a bit and we'll go." said Lancer as she happily watched the girl before her.

'You were wrong, Saber. I don't think that she's the girl from my past. I think she's the one I'll build my future with.'

-

Meanwhile, Gilgamesh walked to Tohsaka house. A vial fell in his hand and when a knife broke the seal on its top.

'Tch. That fake priest will do. And if not, there's plenty more mongrels in the world.'

He poured the contents of the vial on the remains of his right hand and one flash of pain later, his arm was restored. When armor was restored as well, leaving no trace of battle damage, his thoughts turned back to deciding how to vent his anger.

-

"Saber, are other Servants dead?" asked Kotomine when he met his Servant in the house.

Saber nodded and snapped his fingers. The last thing that Kirei heard was a sound of his body smashing through the wall and the blonde's laugh.

"They're all dead, _Master. _And that snake is dead as well, because no one, but me, met that sorceress and lived."

"What should I do, now. It's too early for me leave." quietly mused Saber as he idly looked at Kirei's broken body.

Finally he came to a decision and was about to walk outside when another thought struck him and, with a grin, he pulled a morphing potion from his vault and drunk it in one gulp.

-

"Hey, Master, Where are you?"

Rin, who still talked to Caster, turned to the window in surprise and, after Caster nodded, she walked outside.

-

"Who was it, Tohsaka?" asked Shiro when Rin came back inside.

"It's Saber. She said that Kotomine and other Servants are dead and wants me to restore the contract between us." She turned to the read headed boy and added, before she left.

"The War is over, Emiya. I'll be going home now."

"Tohsaka!" Shiro wanted to ask the girl to explain more, but felt Caster's hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw a sight he never seen before; Caster was blushing.

"Emiya, I wanted to ask…" The older Rin suddenly broke their eye contact and started to fidget.

"You do know that all Servants last only for two weeks , right?"

"Two weeks?! But… why?"

"Because supporting a Servant in this world without Grail's supprot is insanely hard. But that's not the point!"

For almost a minute Tohsaka watched a mix of emotions on the boy's face, before she said with hesitation.

"So… I have only a week at most. And I wanted to ask… Sakura said its all right… will you… date me for this week, Emiya? I loved you in my life… I want to feel it again"

-

-

A\N: The end of "Holy Grail War" part of Lancer Emilya. It was written while listening, mainly, to 'Emiya: Fate\Unlimited Codes' and 'Unlimited Blade Works" remix by Crow's claw called "Broken Phantasm".

Not counting chapter 0, there should be two more parts:

F\SN & Touhou crossover where Emilya fight for Hourai Elixir that can save Ilya's life.

Fate\Hollow Ataraxia with Kotomine Kirei instead of Bazette and girl with long hair and affinity to jewels as Avenger instead of Shiro.


End file.
